Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Price Target Raised to $140.00 at UBS Group

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) had its price objective raised by UBS Group from $136.00 to $140.00 in a report released on Monday morning,MarketScreener reports.

Several other analysts have also commented on DUK. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $135.00 to $127.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on 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. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Monday, December 29th. Scotiabank raised their price objective on Duke Energy from $137.00 to $146.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Evercore restated an “in-line” rating and issued a $139.00 price objective on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $137.80.

Duke Energy Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of DUK stock opened at $130.98 on Monday. Duke Energy has a twelve month low of $111.22 and a twelve month high of $132.65. The stock has a market cap of $101.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.72, a P/E/G ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.50. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $122.85 and a 200 day moving average of $122.41. The company has a current ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 9th. The utilities provider reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $7.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 prior year, the firm posted $1.66 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Duke Energy will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be issued a dividend of $1.065 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 67.41%.

Insider Activity at Duke Energy

In other news, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 6,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.67, for a total value of $868,156.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 22,007 shares in the company, valued at $2,809,633.69. This trade represents a 23.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Regis T. Repko sold 962 shares of the business’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 owned 3,896 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $498,142.56. The trade was a 19.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Duke Energy

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of DUK. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 78,258,757 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $9,172,709,000 after purchasing an additional 1,957,592 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Duke Energy by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 19,292,633 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,266,675,000 after buying an additional 230,375 shares in the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 11,417.7% during the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 17,668,789 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,084,917,000 after buying an additional 17,515,383 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,931,127 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,046,818,000 after acquiring an additional 58,375 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 13.1% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 8,236,893 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $965,446,000 after acquiring an additional 954,907 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Duke Energy News

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

• Positive Sentiment: UBS raised its price target on DUK to $140 from $136, signaling analyst optimism and implying upside vs. the current price — a directional positive for investor sentiment and a potential support for the stock. UBS Adjusts Duke Energy Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Analyses noting sector rotation into value/defensive names highlight Duke as a beneficiary: stable utility cash flows, a ~3% yield and exposure to regulated/resilient businesses help attract flows as investors rotate out of mega-cap tech. 3 Blue-Chip Stocks Built for a Rotating Market
• Positive Sentiment: Other recent analyst target upgrades (coverage noted on Yahoo/MarketScreener) indicate upward revisions to expectations following February results — supports the constructive analyst tone. Price Target Raised
• Neutral Sentiment: A research collaboration involves Duke University (Pratt School of Engineering) and a mobile games developer on aging/cognitive health — this is academic research tied to Duke University, not Duke Energy, and is unlikely to move DUK stock. Avia and University Engineering Program Collaborate
• Negative Sentiment: Duke announced an intended private offering of $1.0B of convertible senior notes due 2029 (with an upsize option), which markets view as dilutive/credit-sensitive — the news directly pressured the stock as investors weigh dilution risk, interest/capital structure effects and why the new funding is needed. Convertible Notes Offering
• Negative Sentiment: Local reporting says Duke is recommitting to fossil fuels in NC, projecting higher carbon emissions — a potential negative for ESG-focused investors and a source of regulatory/PR risk that can pressure valuation multiples for utilities. Falling NC carbon emissions will rise again
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage highlighting rising Duke Energy customer bills increases political and regulatory scrutiny and could lead to rate pressure or reputational headwinds, even as higher prices can temporarily boost revenue — investors watch both the revenue and regulatory downside. Duke Energy bills keep rising

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.