Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Stock Sees Unusually High Call Option Buying

Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) saw unusually large options trading on Thursday. Traders bought 16,318 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 411% compared to the typical daily volume of 3,196 call options.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of NYSE DUK traded up $1.19 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $130.78. 3,233,897 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,990,539. Duke Energy has a 1 year low of $112.40 and a 1 year high of $134.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $101.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.64, a PEG ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47. The business has a 50 day moving average of $119.53 and a two-hundred day moving average of $124.41.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.99 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.86 by $0.13. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.78% and a net margin of 15.78%. Duke Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.81 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Duke Energy will post 6.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 13th will be given a $1.0850 dividend. This represents a $4.34 annualized dividend 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 65.17%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on DUK. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $121.00 price target on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Monday, October 12th. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $135.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 12th. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $124.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 9th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Duke Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, October 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $137.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 13th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $132.19.

Key Headlines Impacting Duke Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy earned $1.99 per share, above analysts’ estimates of roughly $1.86–$1.87 and up from $1.81 a year earlier. Revenue rose 6.6% year over year and beat expectations by 2.33%. The company cited 2% retail load growth, infrastructure investment recovery and favorable weather as key drivers. Article: Duke Energy Q3 Earnings Surpass Estimates on 2% Retail Load Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Duke Energy Florida customers are expected to see lower electricity rates in 2027 after regulators approved the company’s request. This is favorable for customers, but the reports do not clarify the effect on Duke’s earnings. Article: Duke Energy Florida customers to see lower rates in 2027

Insider Buying and Selling at Duke Energy

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Duke Energy

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. raised its position in Duke Energy by 1.2% during the second quarter. Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. now owns 6,623 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $838,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. Absher Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Duke Energy by 2.3% in the 1st quarter. Absher Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,648 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $478,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. NovaPoint Capital LLC lifted its stake in Duke Energy by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. NovaPoint Capital LLC now owns 12,551 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,431,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Duke Energy by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,617 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $964,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the period. Finally, Personal CFO Solutions LLC boosted its position in Duke Energy by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 5,223 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $684,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Company Profile

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.