BMO Capital Markets Has Lowered Expectations for Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Stock Price

Posted by ABMN Staff on Jul 22nd, 2026

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK – Get Free Report) had its target price reduced by equities researchers at BMO Capital Markets from $138.00 to $134.00 in a research note issued on Monday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The firm presently has an “outperform” rating on the utilities provider’s stock. BMO Capital Markets’ price objective points to a potential upside of 6.55% from the company’s current price.

DUK has been the subject of a number of other reports. Truist Financial upped their target price on Duke Energy from $137.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Mizuho cut their price target on Duke Energy from $139.00 to $135.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $139.00 price objective on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on Duke Energy from $143.00 to $138.00 in a report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $135.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.47.

Check Out Our Latest Analysis on Duke Energy

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.1%

NYSE DUK opened at $125.77 on Monday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $124.92 and its 200 day moving average price is $125.59. Duke Energy has a 12 month low of $113.89 and a 12 month high of $134.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.44. The company has a market capitalization of $98.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.38.

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

Insider Transactions at Duke Energy

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

Institutional Trading of Duke Energy

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Merit Financial Group LLC raised its position in Duke Energy by 15.7% in the second quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 70,388 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $8,910,000 after acquiring an additional 9,562 shares in the last quarter. Intergy Private Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 16.1% during the 2nd quarter. Intergy Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,858 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $362,000 after purchasing an additional 396 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co. grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 3.8% during the 2nd quarter. Diversified Trust Co. now owns 12,644 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,601,000 after purchasing an additional 462 shares during the period. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 14.9% in the second quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC now owns 46,487 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,884,000 after purchasing an additional 6,035 shares during the period. Finally, Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 15.4% in the second quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 3,100 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $392,000 after purchasing an additional 414 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Duke Energy

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

Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy announced or was highlighted alongside a dividend increase, reinforcing its appeal as a reliable income stock and supporting the case for long-term utility earnings growth tied to data center demand. Industrial and Utility Giants Boost Dividends as Data Center Tailwinds Build (DUK)
Positive Sentiment: The company reached a North Carolina rate settlement that cuts the proposed increase by more than half, which could reduce regulatory friction and improve the odds of eventual approval versus the original request. Duke Energy reaches deal to cut North Carolina rate hike by over half
Neutral Sentiment: Analysts remain constructive overall, but BMO Capital Markets trimmed its price target to $134 from $138 while keeping an outperform rating, suggesting modest upside despite a slightly softer near-term valuation view. Benzinga report on BMO price target cut
Neutral Sentiment: Industry commentary continues to point to long-term utility tailwinds from grid investment and rising power demand, especially from data centers, which supports the broader investment case for Duke Energy. Zacks Industry Outlook Highlights NextEra Energy, Duke Energy, American Electric Power and Ameren
Negative Sentiment: North Carolina’s attorney general rejected the settlement and said even the reduced rate increase is still too high, raising the risk of more pushback and potentially slowing or complicating Duke’s ability to pass through higher costs to customers. NC AG rejects Duke Energy rate settlement; residential bills could rise 9.5%

About Duke Energy

(Get Free Report)

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.