Analysts Set Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) PT at $121.85

Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the thirteen ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $121.85.

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $138.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $110.00 to $122.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Bank of America upped their target price on Duke Energy from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. Finally, Mizuho raised Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the company from $116.00 to $121.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th.

Duke Energy Stock Up 2.3 %

Duke Energy stock opened at $112.16 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $86.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $115.49 and a 200-day simple moving average of $109.10. Duke Energy has a one year low of $88.27 and a one year high of $121.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.70.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.73 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.06 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 9.34%. Duke Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.94 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Duke Energy will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.73%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 76.84%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Duke Energy

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of DUK. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the third quarter worth $30,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its position in Duke Energy by 69.6% during the second quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 290 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Olistico Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the second quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Sachetta LLC raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 41.9% during the 2nd quarter. Sachetta LLC now owns 325 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Company Profile

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.