Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) Receives $138.00 Consensus Price Target from Analysts

Shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, twelve have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $138.00.

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on Duke Energy in a report on Monday, October 6th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $143.00 price target for the company. Barclays increased their price target on Duke Energy from $131.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. TD Cowen assumed coverage on Duke Energy in a report on Thursday, October 16th. They set a “buy” rating and a $143.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Duke Energy to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 28th.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:DUK opened at $123.79 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. The business has a fifty day moving average of $123.91 and a two-hundred day moving average of $120.77. The stock has a market cap of $96.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.13, a PEG ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 0.44. Duke Energy has a 52-week low of $105.20 and a 52-week high of $130.03.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.25 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.29 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $7.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.07 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.85% and a net margin of 15.51%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.18 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Duke Energy will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Investors of record on Friday, November 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.065 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 14th. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 69.27%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Thomas Preston Jr. Gillespie sold 6,700 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.26, for a total transaction of $832,542.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 46,422 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,768,397.72. This represents a 12.61% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Bonnie B. Titone sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.38, for a total value of $248,760.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 19,608 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,438,843.04. The trade was a 9.26% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Duke Energy

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Duke Energy by 59.7% during the 3rd quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 21,204 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,624,000 after acquiring an additional 7,928 shares in the last quarter. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in Duke Energy by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,988 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $617,000 after purchasing an additional 292 shares in the last quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Duke Energy by 19.3% in the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,123 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $138,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its position in Duke Energy by 42.0% in the 3rd quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 2,020 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $250,000 after purchasing an additional 597 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raleigh Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Duke Energy by 4.4% in the 3rd quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 12,593 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,558,000 after purchasing an additional 531 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

About Duke Energy

Duke Energy Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an energy company in the United States. It operates through two segments: Electric Utilities and Infrastructure (EU&I), and Gas Utilities and Infrastructure (GU&I). The EU&I segment generates, transmits, distributes, and sells electricity in the Carolinas, Florida, and the Midwest.