Acorns Advisers LLC Makes New $218,000 Investment in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Acorns Advisers LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 1,785 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $218,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of DUK. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 11.6% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,754 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $728,000 after acquiring an additional 700 shares during the period. Ethic Inc. lifted its stake in Duke Energy by 69.1% during the fourth quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 9,594 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,034,000 after purchasing an additional 3,919 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its stake in Duke Energy by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 97,906 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $10,547,000 after purchasing an additional 970 shares during the last quarter. Logan Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Duke Energy by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Logan Capital Management Inc. now owns 33,916 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,654,000 after buying an additional 668 shares during the period. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its position in Duke Energy by 597.3% in the fourth quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 31,610 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,404,000 after buying an additional 27,077 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of DUK stock opened at $120.39 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $121.15 and its 200 day simple moving average is $119.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a current ratio of 0.66. Duke Energy Corporation has a twelve month low of $105.20 and a twelve month high of $127.85. The company has a market capitalization of $93.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.58, a PEG ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.39.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 15.51% and a return on equity of 9.85%. The company had revenue of $7.51 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.07 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.18 earnings per share. The firm’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, research analysts predict that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a $1.065 dividend. 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, August 15th. This is a positive change from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 69.27%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $127.00 target price (up previously from $124.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Scotiabank increased their price target on Duke Energy from $120.00 to $128.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Barclays increased their price target on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $131.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Duke Energy from $131.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Duke Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $130.62.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Bonnie B. Titone sold 2,000 shares of the firm’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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,438,843.04. This trade represents a 9.26% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Thomas Preston Jr. Gillespie sold 6,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.26, for a total value of $832,542.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 46,422 shares in the company, valued at $5,768,397.72. The trade was a 12.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.