Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Price Target Raised to $136.00 at Wells Fargo & Company

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) had its price objective upped by Wells Fargo & Company from $135.00 to $136.00 in a report issued on Monday,MarketScreener reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the utilities provider’s stock.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on DUK. Morgan Stanley set a $139.00 target price on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Friday, February 20th. Evercore restated an “in-line” rating and issued a $139.00 target price on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Monday, December 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $141.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada cut 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 report on Friday, January 23rd. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $140.38.

Duke Energy Stock Down 0.1%

DUK stock opened at $127.88 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $99.50 billion, a PE ratio of 20.23 and a beta of 0.46. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $129.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $124.16. Duke Energy has a 52 week low of $111.22 and a 52 week high of $134.49. The company has a quick ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The utilities provider reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $7.94 billion during 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 quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.66 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Duke Energy will post 6.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Duke Energy

In related news, SVP Regis T. Repko sold 962 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.86, for a total value of $123,001.32. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 3,896 shares in the company, valued at $498,142.56. This represents a 19.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 6,800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.67, for a total value of $868,156.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 22,007 shares in the company, valued at $2,809,633.69. The trade was a 23.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Duke Energy

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Basso Capital Management L.P. bought a new stake in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Dorato Capital Management bought a new stake in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 1,111.1% in the fourth quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 218 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp bought a new stake in Duke Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Triumph Capital Management boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 68.6% in the fourth quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 231 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.