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

Shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $138.9333.

Several research analysts have recently commented on DUK shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Duke Energy from $141.00 to $132.00 in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on Duke Energy from $143.00 to $138.00 in a report on Monday, May 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $141.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $135.00 to $136.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $139.00 price target on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd.

Insider Transactions at Duke Energy

In other Duke Energy news, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.15, for a total transaction of $438,025.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 21,415 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,680,087.25. This represents a 14.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.37, for a total value of $2,487,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 96,102 shares in the company, valued at $11,952,205.74. This trade represents a 17.23% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.12% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in DUK. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 5,254.4% during the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 2,735,816 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $358,227,000 after acquiring an additional 2,684,721 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 2.6% during the 4th 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 during the period. Amundi grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 56.9% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 2,662,460 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $312,067,000 after acquiring an additional 965,808 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 13.1% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 8,236,893 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $965,446,000 after acquiring an additional 954,907 shares during the period. Finally, Milford Funds Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $97,905,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Duke Energy

Here are the key news stories impacting Duke Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: The U.S. Department of Energy selected Duke Energy for up to $61.8 million in additional grants to refurbish coal-fired plants in Kentucky and North Carolina, adding to an earlier $34 million award. The funding could help Duke lower the amount customers or shareholders ultimately bear for plant upgrades while supporting grid reliability. How Investors Are Reacting To Duke Energy (DUK) Winning US$96 Million In Federal Coal Plant Grants
• Positive Sentiment: Ohio’s Supreme Court approved a natural gas rate hike for Duke Energy customers, a reminder that regulators can allow higher rates to flow through the system, which can help protect the company’s earnings. Ohio Supreme Court approves natural gas rate hike for Duke Energy customers
• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy remains in the market spotlight, with investors watching it as a trending stock and debating whether it is a buy. That attention can help trading interest in DUK. Is Trending Stock Duke Energy Corporation (DUK) a Buy Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Regulators’ pause in Duke Energy’s solar procurement has raised concerns about future customer bills, but it also signals ongoing scrutiny of how the utility balances clean-energy spending with affordability. Regulators’ pause in Duke Energy solar procurement raises concerns about bills
• Neutral Sentiment: At a state hearing, Duke Energy faced questions over how it is helping attract new data centers to North Carolina. Data-center load growth could be a long-term upside, but the hearing suggests the plan may face political or regulatory pushback. At state hearing, Duke Energy faces questions over its role in attracting new data centers to NC
• Negative Sentiment: Questions over a possible $150 bill credit for customers suggest Duke Energy is still under pressure on affordability, which could weigh on sentiment if it leads to lower near-term revenue recovery. Duke Energy customers may be able to get $150 bill credit. But there’s a catch

Duke Energy Stock Up 1.1%

DUK opened at $125.13 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $97.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.16 and a beta of 0.39. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $126.42 and its 200-day moving average price is $123.99. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45. Duke Energy has a 12 month low of $113.66 and a 12 month high of $134.49.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $9.18 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.44 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.73% and a net margin of 15.49%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.76 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Duke Energy will post 6.71 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.065 per share. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is currently 65.24%.

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.