Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $136.50.

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. UBS Group cut their target price on Duke Energy from $135.00 to $126.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. TD Cowen assumed coverage on Duke Energy in a report on Thursday, October 16th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $143.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Duke Energy to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. Barclays boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $131.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. Finally, Evercore ISI assumed coverage on Duke Energy in a research note on Monday, October 6th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $143.00 price target for the company.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE DUK opened at $117.48 on Thursday. 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 fifty day moving average of $122.86 and a 200 day moving average of $121.20. Duke Energy has a one year low of $105.20 and a one year high of $130.03. The firm has a market cap of $91.36 billion, a PE ratio of 18.47, a PEG ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.49.

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

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 14th were given a $1.065 dividend. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 14th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 66.98%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Duke Energy

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in DUK. Pflug Koory LLC boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 3.0% in the third quarter. Pflug Koory LLC now owns 2,694 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $333,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the period. WealthShield Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 0.3% in the second quarter. WealthShield Partners LLC now owns 25,453 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,003,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. Cypress Wealth Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 1.7% during the third quarter. Cypress Wealth Services LLC now owns 5,048 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $625,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the period. EWA LLC increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 3.9% in the third quarter. EWA LLC now owns 2,203 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $273,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the period. Finally, Mill Creek Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 4.6% during the 3rd quarter. Mill Creek Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,854 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $229,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

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.