Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Stock Picked Up by Analysts at HSBC

Equities researchers at HSBC initiated coverage on shares of Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) in a note issued to investors on Thursday, Marketbeat.com reports. The firm set a “hold” rating and a $123.00 price target on the utilities provider’s stock. HSBC’s price target suggests a potential upside of 1.91% from the company’s previous close.

Several other brokerages have also recently commented on DUK. KeyCorp reduced their price target on Duke Energy from $139.00 to $128.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 13th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Duke Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, October 17th. Barclays cut their price objective on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $124.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $137.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 13th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $134.00 to $132.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Duke Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $132.19.

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:DUK opened at $120.70 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $118.82 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $123.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.43. Duke Energy has a one year low of $112.40 and a one year high of $134.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $94.11 billion, a PE ratio of 18.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.36.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 3rd. The utilities provider reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.30 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $7.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.66 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.78% and a net margin of 15.78%. Duke Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.25 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Duke Energy will post 6.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Duke Energy

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $605,680,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased 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 last quarter. Swiss National Bank raised its stake in Duke Energy by 7.1% in the 1st quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 2,282,341 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $298,850,000 after acquiring an additional 151,400 shares during the period. National Pension Service lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 1.8% during the 2nd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 2,124,004 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $268,856,000 after purchasing an additional 36,835 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,092,284 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $273,979,000 after purchasing an additional 58,967 shares during the last quarter. 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: A Davidson County, North Carolina, planning board recommended approval of Duke Energy’s proposed natural-gas project, while related rezoning in Lexington moved forward. The approvals could support additional generation capacity and long-term reliability, although further regulatory and permitting steps remain. Davidson County Planning Board recommends approval of Duke Energy natural gas project
• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy Florida launched a new solar site, reinforcing the utility’s investment in renewable generation and potentially supporting its regulated rate base over time. Duke Energy Florida launches new solar site
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its price target for Duke Energy from $127 to $128 while maintaining an “equal weight” rating. The change indicates modest expected appreciation but no strong shift in the analyst’s view. Morgan Stanley raises Duke Energy price target
• Neutral Sentiment: Duke Energy lineworkers received six awards at the International Lineman’s Rodeo. The recognition highlights workforce expertise and grid reliability, but is unlikely to materially affect earnings or valuation. Duke Energy lineworkers earn six awards
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks highlighted increased investor attention and recent market outperformance, but provided no new company-specific earnings or guidance catalyst. Duke Energy attracts investor attention
• Negative Sentiment: KeyCorp reduced its price target for Duke Energy to $128, adding pressure to the analyst outlook and underscoring valuation concerns despite the stock’s defensive utility profile. KeyCorp cuts Duke Energy price target

Duke Energy Company Profile

Duke Energy Corporation is an energy holding company that provides regulated electric and natural gas utility services in the United States. Its electric utilities generate, transmit, distribute and sell electricity to residential, commercial, industrial and other customers. The company’s generation portfolio includes nuclear, natural gas, coal, hydroelectric and renewable energy resources.

Duke Energy serves customers primarily in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky.