Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Stock Price Expected to Rise, JPMorgan Chase & Co. Analyst Says

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) had its target price increased by stock analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $136.00 to $141.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “neutral” rating on the utilities provider’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price target would indicate a potential upside of 12.77% from the company’s current price.

DUK has been the topic of a number of other reports. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $143.00 to $134.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $137.00 to $135.00 in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $143.00 to $138.00 in a report on Monday, May 11th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $135.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Mizuho cut their price objective on Duke Energy from $139.00 to $135.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $138.73.

Duke Energy Stock Down 0.9%

NYSE:DUK opened at $125.04 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $124.89 and its 200 day moving average price is $125.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $97.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.15, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.38. 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 1-year low of $113.89 and a 1-year high of $134.49.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $9.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.44 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.73% and a net margin of 15.49%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.76 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Duke Energy will post 6.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Duke Energy

In other news, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.37, for a total transaction of $2,487,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 96,102 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,952,205.74. This represents a 17.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.15, for a total value of $438,025.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 21,415 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,680,087.25. This represents a 14.05% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Duke Energy

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 1,957,592 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 19,292,633 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,266,675,000 after acquiring an additional 230,375 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Duke Energy by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,931,127 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,046,818,000 after acquiring an additional 58,375 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in 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 last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 0.4% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,758,700 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $960,139,000 after acquiring an additional 31,703 shares during the period. 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: Truist raised its price target on Duke Energy to $138 and reiterated a Buy rating, signaling confidence in the utility’s earnings outlook and suggesting meaningful upside from current levels. Benzinga report on Truist rating update
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan also lifted its price target to $141, even while keeping a Neutral rating, which still reflects expectations for solid longer-term value creation. Benzinga report on JPMorgan target increase
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary highlighted Duke Energy as one of the utilities best positioned for long-term growth thanks to its strong customer base and large capital expenditure program, with analysts pointing to contracted load and new demand from data centers as supportive of future earnings. Seeking Alpha article
• Neutral Sentiment: Duke Energy is expected to report second-quarter results next month, and analysts are looking for a modest earnings increase, keeping attention on whether the company can deliver on its growth plans. Barchart article
• Neutral Sentiment: Local coverage suggests Clearwater may renew its long-term electricity contract with Duke Energy, which would help preserve customer relationships and support revenue stability. Yahoo Finance article
• Negative Sentiment: North Carolina’s attorney general is challenging proposed Duke Energy Progress rate increases, adding another regulatory hurdle that could limit future pricing power and earnings growth. MSN article
• Negative Sentiment: Additional reports say AG Jeff Jackson is seeking to block nearly $1 billion in Duke Energy rate hikes over the next two years, reinforcing investor concerns about regulatory pushback on returns. Yahoo News article

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.