The Goldman Sachs Group Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Stock

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) had its price objective raised by stock analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group from $141.00 to $142.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the utilities provider’s stock. The Goldman Sachs Group’s target price points to a potential upside of 12.57% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $143.00 to $140.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $136.00 price target on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Wednesday. Scotiabank upped their price target 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 restated a “buy” rating and issued a $141.00 price objective on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Mizuho set a $130.00 target price on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Tuesday. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $134.19.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DUK opened at $126.14 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a current ratio of 0.55 and a quick ratio of 0.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $98.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.96, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.51. The business has a 50-day moving average of $118.44 and a two-hundred day moving average of $121.73. Duke Energy has a fifty-two week low of $110.51 and a fifty-two week high of $130.03.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The utilities provider reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $7.94 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.57 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.66% and a net margin of 15.41%.During the same period last year, the business earned $1.66 EPS. Duke Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.550-6.800 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Duke Energy will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Duke Energy

In related news, EVP Robert Alexander Glenn sold 8,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 11,367 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,407,234.60. The trade was a 41.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of DUK. Dorato Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 1,111.1% in the fourth quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 218 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Triumph Capital Management raised its position in Duke Energy by 68.6% in the 4th quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 231 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Duke Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs raised its price target on DUK to $142 and reaffirmed a “buy” rating, implying meaningful upside versus recent levels — supportive for investor sentiment and the stock. Goldman Sachs price target
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat: Duke reported EPS roughly in line/just ahead of consensus and set FY2026 guidance at $6.55–$6.80, which supports earnings growth expectations and the dividend coverage outlook. (Earnings call and analyst write-ups indicate the beat and guidance.) Earnings and analysis
• Positive Sentiment: Data-center demand is expanding Duke’s growth runway: the company’s pipeline hit ~4.5 GW as hyperscale and cloud providers expand, supporting future electricity sales and infrastructure investment. Data center pipeline
• Positive Sentiment: Large reported net income (~$4.9–$5.0B for the year) underscores profitability and cash flow that can support dividends and capex plans. Net income report
• Neutral Sentiment: Duke is rolling out AI tools to detect customer-facing scams — a positive customer-protection move but unlikely to materially change near-term revenue or earnings. AI scam detection
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage and research notes (e.g., Argus and other reports) are circulating; they reinforce the beat/guidance story but don’t change fundamentals immediately. Analyst report
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and political risk: several outlets note pending rate increases that will raise customer bills, which can attract public and regulatory pushback and increase execution risk for approved rate relief. Rate increase coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Municipal risk: St. Petersburg is taking steps to consider a city-run electric utility, which highlights political/local risk that could impair franchise stability in specific markets if pursued. St. Petersburg municipal move

Duke Energy Company Profile

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.