Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) Receives $140.00 Consensus Price Target from Brokerages

Shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $139.0667.

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Truist Financial decreased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $142.00 to $137.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted 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. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted 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. Mizuho lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $130.00 to $139.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Capitol Sec Mgt lowered Duke Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 10th.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.8%

NYSE:DUK opened at $124.80 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45. Duke Energy has a 1-year low of $113.39 and a 1-year high of $134.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $97.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.11 and a beta of 0.41. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $128.32 and a 200 day simple moving average of $124.01.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released 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. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.73% and a net margin of 15.49%.The business had revenue of $9.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.44 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.76 EPS. Duke Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Duke Energy will post 6.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

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

Duke Energy News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy is being highlighted as a utility that could benefit from long-term demand from AI data centers and steady dividend appeal, which may keep investors interested in the stock. Article title
• Positive Sentiment: TipRanks reported that Duke Energy’s earnings call emphasized progress on a large growth plan, reinforcing the company’s long-term investment case. Article title
• Positive Sentiment: News that Duke Energy Foundation is funding veteran workforce programs in North Carolina and South Carolina adds to the company’s community profile, though the direct financial impact is limited. Article title Article title
• Neutral Sentiment: Several local outage and safety reports, including restored power in Sullivan County and a downed power line in Greenville, are routine operational updates with limited likely stock impact. Article title Article title
• Neutral Sentiment: Maria-generated coverage on Duke Energy Ohio summer bill changes and a pricing-look article mainly reflect rate and valuation discussion, not a major new catalyst. Article title Article title
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley lowered its price target on Duke Energy to $132 from $141, which could pressure sentiment even though the firm still sees modest upside. Article title
• Negative Sentiment: North Carolina lawmakers advanced a bill that could block Duke from retiring coal plants until new nuclear capacity is approved, increasing regulatory uncertainty and potentially complicating its transition plans. Article title

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 21,415 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,680,087.25. This represents a 14.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Regis T. Repko sold 962 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.86, for a total transaction of $123,001.32. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 3,896 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $498,142.56. The trade was a 19.80% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 24,462 shares of company stock worth $3,048,426. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Duke Energy

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 11.6% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,754 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $728,000 after buying an additional 700 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 19.6% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 23,162 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,825,000 after purchasing an additional 3,797 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 31,238 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,686,000 after purchasing an additional 315 shares during the period. AXA S.A. grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 523.4% in the 2nd quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 42,233 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,983,000 after purchasing an additional 35,458 shares during the period. Finally, Nebula Research & Development LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $954,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

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.