JPMorgan Chase & Co. Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Stock

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) had its price objective upped by equities research analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $114.00 to $121.00 in a report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “neutral” rating on the utilities provider’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price target indicates a potential upside of 1.34% from the stock’s current price.

Several other research firms have also recently issued reports on DUK. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Scotiabank upped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.93.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:DUK traded up $0.90 on Tuesday, hitting $119.40. 649,368 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,395,935. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $112.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of $113.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. The company has a market cap of $92.71 billion, a PE ratio of 20.89, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. Duke Energy has a 52 week low of $92.75 and a 52 week high of $121.25.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. As a group, research analysts expect that Duke Energy will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Duke Energy

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Baron Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 3.5% during the third quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,730 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $315,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB raised its stake in Duke Energy by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 31,353 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,378,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the period. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,456 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $372,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Intergy Private Wealth LLC boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Intergy Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,113 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $228,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the period. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 7,233 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $779,000 after buying an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.31% 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.