Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Stock Price Expected to Rise, BMO Capital Markets Analyst Says

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) had its target price hoisted by stock analysts at BMO Capital Markets from $130.00 to $132.00 in a report issued on Tuesday,MarketScreener reports. The firm presently has an “outperform” rating on the utilities provider’s stock. BMO Capital Markets’ target price points to a potential upside of 9.80% from the stock’s previous close.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the company. UBS Group decreased their target price on Duke Energy from $135.00 to $126.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target 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. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $126.00 to $115.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, BTIG Research upgraded shares of Duke Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $135.06.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of DUK stock opened at $120.22 on Tuesday. 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 market cap of $93.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.90, a P/E/G ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.50. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $118.23 and its 200-day moving average price is $121.46. Duke Energy has a one year low of $110.51 and a one year high of $130.03.

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

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Robert Alexander Glenn sold 8,200 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 11,367 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,407,234.60. The trade was a 41.91% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Duke Energy

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Dorato Capital Management purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 53.7% in the 2nd quarter. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC now owns 249 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lodestone Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Duke Energy

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.