Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the fifteen analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eight have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $123.87.

DUK has been the subject of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in Duke Energy by 4.1% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 960,178 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $110,709,000 after purchasing an additional 37,453 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co grew its position in Duke Energy by 9.6% in the 4th quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 7,819 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $843,000 after acquiring an additional 688 shares during the last quarter. Strathmore Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth $399,000. Peoples Bank KS boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 17.7% during the fourth quarter. Peoples Bank KS now owns 2,765 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $298,000 after purchasing an additional 416 shares during the period. Finally, Park National Corp OH grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Park National Corp OH now owns 16,347 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,761,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DUK opened at $122.95 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $119.27 and its 200 day moving average is $114.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. Duke Energy has a 52 week low of $99.21 and a 52 week high of $125.27. The stock has a market cap of $95.54 billion, a PE ratio of 21.53, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.17. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. The firm had revenue of $8.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.70 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.44 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.40%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is presently 73.20%.

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.