Sentry LLC Buys 86 Shares of Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Sentry LLC increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 4.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,831 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the period. Sentry LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $216,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Brookstone Capital Management grew its stake in Duke Energy by 2.8% during the second quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 124,988 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $14,749,000 after purchasing an additional 3,416 shares during the period. IMG Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 18.5% during the second quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,617 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $191,000 after buying an additional 252 shares during the last quarter. Advantage Trust Co boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 157.9% during the second quarter. Advantage Trust Co now owns 1,029 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $121,000 after buying an additional 630 shares during the last quarter. Lafayette Investments Inc. purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the second quarter worth $461,000. Finally, Syntegra Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its position in Duke Energy by 28.2% in the second quarter. Syntegra Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 3,217 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $380,000 after purchasing an additional 707 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $132.00 price objective on Duke Energy in a research report on Tuesday, July 1st. Scotiabank set a $137.00 price objective on Duke Energy and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on Duke Energy in a research note on Monday, October 6th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $143.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $127.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. Finally, BTIG Research began coverage on Duke Energy in a research report on Tuesday. They set a “buy” rating and a $150.00 price objective on the stock. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $137.71.

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.5%

NYSE DUK opened at $128.25 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $99.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a current ratio of 0.66. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $123.48 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $120.23. Duke Energy Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $105.20 and a fifty-two week high of $129.51.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.25 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.29 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $7.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.07 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.51% and a return on equity of 9.85%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.18 EPS. Duke Energy has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.170-6.420 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 14th will be paid a $1.065 dividend. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 14th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.27%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Thomas Preston Jr. Gillespie sold 6,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.26, for a total transaction of $832,542.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 46,422 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,768,397.72. This trade represents a 12.61% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Bonnie B. Titone sold 2,000 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 19,608 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,438,843.04. The trade was a 9.26% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

About Duke Energy

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.