Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $116.79.

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on DUK shares. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $99.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 12th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $138.00 target price for the company. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $135.00 price objective on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Duke Energy from $120.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.7 %

DUK opened at $115.97 on Tuesday. Duke Energy has a fifty-two week low of $83.06 and a fifty-two week high of $118.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $89.50 billion, a PE ratio of 29.14, a P/E/G ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The company’s 50-day moving average is $113.50 and its 200 day moving average is $104.64.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.18 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.16. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.29% and a return on equity of 9.71%. The business had revenue of $7.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.84 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.91 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Duke Energy will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Investors of record on Friday, August 16th were given a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.60%. This is a boost from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.03. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 16th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 105.03%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Duke Energy

In other news, EVP Louis E. Renjel sold 540 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.64, for a total value of $61,365.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 19,884 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,259,617.76. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Duke Energy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Mackenzie Financial Corp raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 65.7% in the 2nd quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 2,052,969 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $205,769,000 after purchasing an additional 813,744 shares in the last quarter. Wulff Hansen & CO. lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 9,923.0% in the second quarter. Wulff Hansen & CO. now owns 769,265 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $77,103,000 after buying an additional 761,590 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its position in Duke Energy by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 11,141,020 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,081,125,000 after acquiring an additional 509,039 shares in the last quarter. Cbre Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,874,000. Finally, Morningstar Investment Services LLC raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 96.1% in the 4th quarter. Morningstar Investment Services LLC now owns 789,612 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $76,529,000 after acquiring an additional 387,038 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Duke Energy Company 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.