Argyle Capital Management LLC Sells 481 Shares of Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Argyle Capital Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 30,393 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 481 shares during the period. Duke Energy comprises approximately 1.3% of Argyle Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Argyle Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $3,586,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. Activest Wealth Management lifted its stake in Duke Energy by 98.1% during the first quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 212 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy during the first quarter worth $27,000. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the first quarter worth $27,000. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 53.7% during the second quarter. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC now owns 249 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 360.0% during the first quarter. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 253 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 198 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Thomas Preston Jr. Gillespie sold 6,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.26, for a total value of $832,542.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 46,422 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,768,397.72. The trade was a 12.61% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Bonnie B. Titone sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.38, for a total value of $248,760.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 19,608 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,438,843.04. This trade represents a 9.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Duke Energy stock opened at $124.68 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $122.99 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $119.77. Duke Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $105.20 and a 1-year high of $127.85. The company has a market cap of $96.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.27, a PEG ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.44.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.25 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.29 by ($0.04). Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.85% and a net margin of 15.51%.The business had revenue of $7.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.07 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.18 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. Duke Energy has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.170-6.420 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th were issued a dividend of $1.065 per share. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 15th. This is an increase from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 69.27%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $127.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, September 25th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $127.00 price target (up from $124.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Friday, July 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $127.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Scotiabank set a $137.00 price target on shares of Duke Energy and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $122.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $133.08.

About Duke Energy

Duke Energy Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an energy company in the United States. It operates through two segments: Electric Utilities and Infrastructure (EU&I), and Gas Utilities and Infrastructure (GU&I). The EU&I segment generates, transmits, distributes, and sells electricity in the Carolinas, Florida, and the Midwest.