Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Receives $122.08 Average Price Target from Brokerages

Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) have earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $121.62.

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Scotiabank increased their price objective on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

DUK stock opened at $116.03 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $89.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.32, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.50. Duke Energy has a twelve month low of $90.09 and a twelve month high of $121.25. 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 business’s fifty day simple moving average is $110.85 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $113.10.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced 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%. Analysts predict that Duke Energy will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.60%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is presently 73.20%.

Institutional Trading of Duke Energy

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in DUK. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its stake in Duke Energy by 1,500.0% during the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.