Duke Energy Corporation $DUK Shares Acquired by O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 3.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 185,138 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,649 shares during the quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $21,700,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Dorato Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 1,111.1% during the 4th quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 218 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Wiser Advisor Group LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on DUK shares. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on Duke Energy from $139.00 to $138.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Duke Energy from $135.00 to $136.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Duke Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 28th. UBS Group decreased their target price on Duke Energy from $137.00 to $135.00 in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Duke Energy from $141.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.93.

Insider Transactions at Duke Energy

In other Duke Energy news, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.37, for a total value of $2,487,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 96,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,952,205.74. The trade was a 17.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.15, for a total value of $438,025.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 21,415 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,680,087.25. This represents a 14.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Duke Energy Stock Down 1.7%

Shares of DUK opened at $122.11 on Tuesday. Duke Energy Corporation has a 52-week low of $113.66 and a 52-week high of $134.49. The company has a market capitalization of $95.20 billion, a PE ratio of 18.70 and a beta of 0.39. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $126.67 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $123.96. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $9.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.44 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.73% and a net margin of 15.49%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.76 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.71 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $1.065 per share. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.24%.

About Duke Energy

Duke Energy Corporation is a U.S.-based electric power holding company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. The company’s core business is the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Duke Energy operates a mix of regulated electric utilities and non-regulated energy businesses, providing essential energy infrastructure and services across multiple states.

Its operating activities include owning and operating generation assets across a portfolio that encompasses nuclear, natural gas, coal, hydroelectric and an expanding array of renewable resources, as well as battery storage and grid modernization projects.