Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Upgraded at The Goldman Sachs Group

The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a report released on Wednesday morning, MarketBeat reports. The brokerage currently has $132.00 price target on the utilities provider’s stock, up from their previous price target of $125.00.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $130.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Friday, June 13th. They issued a “market perform” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $127.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $127.00 price objective (up previously from $126.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. Finally, Guggenheim increased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $126.94.

Duke Energy Price Performance

DUK stock opened at $116.93 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $90.89 billion, a PE ratio of 19.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.37. The company’s 50-day moving average is $117.52 and its 200-day moving average is $115.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.50. Duke Energy has a 1 year low of $99.21 and a 1 year high of $125.27.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.17. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.40% and a return on equity of 9.88%. The company had revenue of $8.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.70 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.44 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Duke Energy will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th were paid a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.57%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is currently 69.32%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of DUK. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 11.6% in 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. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 16,508 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,779,000 after buying an additional 815 shares during the period. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC now owns 5,379 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $580,000 after buying an additional 281 shares during the period. BankPlus Trust Department bought a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $53,000. Finally, Sentry Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $317,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.