Jefferies Financial Group Raises Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Price Target to $141.00

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) had its target price increased by equities researchers at Jefferies Financial Group from $125.00 to $141.00 in a report released on Tuesday,MarketScreener reports. The firm currently has a “hold” rating on the utilities provider’s stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s price target would suggest a potential upside of 12.59% from the company’s previous close.

DUK has been the topic of several other research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $136.00 to $126.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $136.00 price target on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on 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. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $135.19.

Duke Energy Price Performance

DUK opened at $125.23 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $119.39 and a 200 day moving average price of $121.92. 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 has a 1 year low of $110.95 and a 1 year high of $130.03. The stock has a market cap of $97.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.82, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.51.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The utilities provider reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.01. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.66% and a net margin of 15.41%.The company had revenue of $7.94 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.57 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.66 EPS. Analysts forecast that Duke Energy will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Duke Energy

In related news, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 6,800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.67, for a total transaction of $868,156.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 22,007 shares in the company, valued at $2,809,633.69. This represents a 23.61% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Basso Capital Management L.P. bought a new stake in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Dorato Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 1,111.1% in the 4th quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 218 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Triumph Capital Management boosted its position in Duke Energy by 68.6% in the fourth quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 231 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

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.