3Chopt Investment Partners LLC Cuts Stake in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

3Chopt Investment Partners LLC decreased its holdings in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 4.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 6,428 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 266 shares during the period. 3Chopt Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $759,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 10.0% during the second quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI now owns 70,637 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $8,335,000 after purchasing an additional 6,415 shares during the period. Stiles Financial Services Inc boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 3.5% in the second quarter. Stiles Financial Services Inc now owns 23,463 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,769,000 after purchasing an additional 797 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 2.3% in the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 23,662 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,917,000 after purchasing an additional 531 shares during the period. Callan Family Office LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 110.0% during the second quarter. Callan Family Office LLC now owns 17,216 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,032,000 after acquiring an additional 9,017 shares during the period. Finally, Blair William & Co. IL boosted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 2.5% during the second quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 93,445 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $11,027,000 after acquiring an additional 2,257 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of Duke Energy stock opened at $124.68 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $96.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.27, a PEG ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a quick ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. The stock 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 12-month low of $105.20 and a 12-month high of $127.85.

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

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on DUK. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $127.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $127.00 price objective (up previously from $124.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Friday, July 11th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $131.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Duke Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $141.00 to $134.00 in a report on Friday, September 26th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $133.08.

Insider Buying and Selling at Duke Energy

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

Duke Energy Profile

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.