Rice Partnership LLC Acquires 10,830 Shares of Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Rice Partnership LLC boosted its holdings in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 35.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 41,473 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 10,830 shares during the period. Rice Partnership LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $4,861,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dorato Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 300.0% in the fourth quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 280 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 210 shares during the period. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 13,750.0% in the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 277 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 275 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Duke Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy outlined a large $103 billion capital plan for 2026-2030 focused on grid upgrades, cleaner power, and reliability, with analysts noting it supports future earnings growth and a 2026 EPS target of $6.71. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The company said it is exploring tech partnerships with hyperscalers to help share the financial risk of new nuclear projects, which could make its clean-energy expansion more investable. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy confirmed power delivery for USA Rare Earth’s planned South Carolina magnet plant, highlighting new industrial load that could support future electricity demand. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent coverage has also focused on Duke Energy’s valuation and recent share-price weakness, suggesting the stock has lagged recently even though longer-term returns remain positive. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson testified against Duke Energy’s proposed rate hike, arguing it could cost families $1.4 billion and saying the utility “overshot the mark,” which could pressure investor sentiment around regulation. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Duke Energy also requested an $8 monthly electric rate increase in Ohio and separately proposed a significant rate hike for 2027, adding to customer and political pushback risks. Article Title Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Another North Carolina filing from the attorney general argues Duke Energy’s rate proposal could sharply raise household costs, reinforcing regulatory uncertainty around its pricing plans. Article Title

Insider Activity

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Duke Energy from $141.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Duke Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 28th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on Duke Energy from $143.00 to $138.00 in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Mizuho raised their price target on Duke Energy from $130.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and issued a $139.00 price target on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Tuesday. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.93.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:DUK opened at $120.88 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $127.25 and its 200 day simple moving average is $124.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $94.24 billion, a PE ratio of 18.51 and a beta of 0.39. 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 Corporation has a twelve month low of $113.66 and a twelve month high of $134.49.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $9.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.44 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.73% and a net margin of 15.49%.Duke Energy’s revenue was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.76 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

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 paid a $1.065 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.5%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.