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

Shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the eighteen ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have assigned a hold recommendation and eleven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $134.50.

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Barclays reduced their price target on Duke Energy from $135.00 to $127.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “underperform” rating and set a $130.00 price target on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Monday, December 29th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $130.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $135.00 to $126.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 17th.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

NYSE DUK opened at $123.35 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $95.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a quick ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54. The company’s 50 day moving average is $118.08 and its 200-day moving average is $121.59. Duke Energy has a 12-month low of $110.51 and a 12-month high of $130.03.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.06. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.76% and a return on equity of 9.98%. The business had revenue of $8.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.51 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.62 EPS. Duke Energy’s revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Duke Energy will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th will be given a dividend of $1.065 per share. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is presently 66.98%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Duke Energy

In other news, EVP Robert Alexander Glenn sold 8,200 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 19th. The stock was 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 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 legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Duke Energy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 11,417.7% during the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 17,668,789 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,084,917,000 after buying an additional 17,515,383 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Duke Energy by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 78,258,757 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $9,172,709,000 after acquiring an additional 1,957,592 shares in the last quarter. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd bought a new position in Duke Energy in the third quarter valued at $86,309,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its position in Duke Energy by 448.9% during the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 826,296 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $102,254,000 after purchasing an additional 675,768 shares in the last quarter. Finally, OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp lifted its stake in Duke Energy by 64.4% during the second quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp now owns 1,472,321 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $173,734,000 after purchasing an additional 576,674 shares during the last quarter. 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.