Duke Energy Corporation $DUK Shares Acquired by Rakuten Investment Management Inc.

Rakuten Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 9.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 139,941 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,509 shares during the quarter. Rakuten Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $15,983,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of DUK. Provenance Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 1,768.5% during the third quarter. Provenance Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,382 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $386,000 after buying an additional 3,201 shares in the last quarter. Associated Banc Corp acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $466,000. Integrity Advisory Solutions LLC boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 61.5% in the third quarter. Integrity Advisory Solutions LLC now owns 4,846 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $552,000 after buying an additional 1,845 shares in the last quarter. First Nebraska Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $457,000. Finally, Stiles Financial Services Inc grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 1.6% during the third quarter. Stiles Financial Services Inc now owns 26,932 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,070,000 after buying an additional 431 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting Duke Energy

Here are the key news stories impacting Duke Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts point to rising data-center demand, higher electricity sales and grid investments as factors that could support Duke Energy’s Q3 earnings. DUK was also included among utilities considered well-positioned to beat estimates this reporting season. Article: Duke Energy to Post Q3 Earnings: Here’s What You Need to Know
• Neutral Sentiment: The Florida Public Service Commission approved lower electricity rates for Duke Energy Florida customers in 2027. This is favorable for customers, but the reports do not establish the effect on Duke’s earnings. Article: Duke Energy Florida customers to see lower rates in 2027
• Neutral Sentiment: EVP Bonnie Titone sold 2,900 shares worth about $371,200 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan and retained 26,111 shares, making the transaction a limited insider signal. Article: Duke Energy EVP Sells Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Storm-related expenses could weigh on Q3 margins, tempering the potential benefits of stronger demand and investment activity. Article: Duke Energy Q3 earnings preview

Duke Energy Stock Up 2.4%

Shares of NYSE DUK opened at $129.61 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $101.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $119.53 and a 200-day moving average price of $124.41. Duke Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $112.40 and a 1 year high of $134.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.43.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 3rd. The utilities provider reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.30 by $0.13. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.78% and a net margin of 15.78%. The firm had revenue of $7.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.66 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.25 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 16th. Investors of record on Friday, November 13th will be given a dividend of $1.0850 per share. This represents a $4.34 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 13th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.17%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Duke Energy news, EVP Bonnie Titone sold 2,900 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.00, for a total value of $371,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 26,111 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,342,208. This trade represents a 10.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on DUK. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on Duke Energy from $134.00 to $132.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Mizuho set a $136.00 target price on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $124.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 9th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Duke Energy from $127.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 21st. Finally, KeyCorp lowered their price objective on Duke Energy from $139.00 to $128.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 13th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $132.19.

About Duke Energy

Duke Energy Corporation is an energy holding company that provides regulated electric and natural gas utility services in the United States. Its electric utilities generate, transmit, distribute and sell electricity to residential, commercial, industrial and other customers. The company’s generation portfolio includes nuclear, natural gas, coal, hydroelectric and renewable energy resources.

Duke Energy serves customers primarily in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky.