Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Given New $132.00 Price Target at BMO Capital Markets

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) had its price target raised by BMO Capital Markets from $130.00 to $132.00 in a report issued on Tuesday morning,MarketScreener reports. The firm currently has an outperform rating on the utilities provider’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on DUK. Scotiabank increased their target price on Duke Energy from $137.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. BTIG Research upgraded Duke Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Evercore ISI started 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. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $126.00 to $125.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, TD Cowen started coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $143.00 price objective on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $135.06.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of DUK opened at $120.24 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $118.27 and a 200 day simple moving average of $121.47. Duke Energy has a 52-week low of $110.51 and a 52-week high of $130.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a current ratio of 0.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $93.51 billion, a PE ratio of 18.91, a P/E/G ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.50.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.06. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.76% and a return on equity of 9.98%. The firm had revenue of $8.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.51 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.62 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Duke Energy will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th will be paid a $1.065 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.5%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 66.98%.

Insider Transactions at Duke Energy

In other Duke Energy news, EVP Robert Alexander Glenn sold 8,200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.80, for a total value of $1,015,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 11,367 shares in the company, valued at $1,407,234.60. This trade represents a 41.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Duke Energy

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of DUK. Meritage Portfolio Management bought a new stake in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $4,018,000. SageGuard Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $11,352,000. Greystone Financial Group LLC raised its stake in Duke Energy by 7.3% in the 4th quarter. Greystone Financial Group LLC now owns 100,585 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $11,790,000 after acquiring an additional 6,819 shares during the period. Legacy Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $210,000. Finally, Richards Merrill & Peterson Inc. bought a new position in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth $181,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Duke Energy

Here are the key news stories impacting Duke Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BMO Capital Markets raised its price target on Duke to $132 from $130 and kept an “Outperform” rating, implying roughly a double-digit upside versus current levels — a clear near-term catalyst for buying interest. BMO raises PT to $132
• Positive Sentiment: Duke says crews have restored power to roughly 131,000 customers after Winter Storm Fern and is advising customers on energy-use tips as cold weather continues — this shows effective operational response and reduces the scope of prolonged outage-related risk and potential regulatory scrutiny. Duke restores power to 131,000
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro commentary: a recent piece highlighting dividend stocks that could benefit if the Fed cuts rates in 2026 reinforces the narrative that regulated utilities (high-yield, stable cash-flow names) may rerate higher on easing rates — supportive context but speculative and dependent on Fed action. Dividend stocks could run if Fed cuts
• Negative Sentiment: Repeated alerts about text and outage scams targeting Duke customers (fake scheduled outage notices) have been widely reported; while currently non-financial, elevated scam activity can increase customer service load, reputational risk and potential short-term distraction for management. Duke warns customers of text scam

About Duke Energy

Duke Energy Corporation is a U.S.-based electric power holding company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. The company’s core business is the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Duke Energy operates a mix of regulated electric utilities and non-regulated energy businesses, providing essential energy infrastructure and services across multiple states.

Its operating activities include owning and operating generation assets across a portfolio that encompasses nuclear, natural gas, coal, hydroelectric and an expanding array of renewable resources, as well as battery storage and grid modernization projects.