Scotiabank Upgrades Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) to “Outperform”

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUKGet Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at Scotiabank from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note issued on Friday, Marketbeat reports. The firm currently has a $137.00 price objective on the utilities provider’s stock. Scotiabank’s price target suggests a potential upside of 10.86% from the company’s current price.

A number of other brokerages also recently weighed in on DUK. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Duke Energy from $131.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $127.00 price objective (up previously from $124.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Friday, July 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $127.00 to $131.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Saturday, September 27th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $132.00 price objective on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $132.25.

Read Our Latest Report on DUK

Duke Energy Stock Up 1.7%

Duke Energy stock opened at $123.58 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $96.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.09, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.44. Duke Energy has a 52-week low of $105.20 and a 52-week high of $127.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a current ratio of 0.66. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $122.58 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $119.61.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUKGet Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.25 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.29 by ($0.04). Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.51% and a return on equity of 9.85%. The firm had revenue of $7.51 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.07 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.18 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Duke Energy has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.170-6.420 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Duke Energy will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Duke Energy

In other Duke Energy news, EVP Thomas Preston Jr. Gillespie sold 6,700 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were 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 $5,768,397.72. This trade represents a 12.61% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Bonnie B. Titone sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.38, for a total value of $248,760.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 19,608 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,438,843.04. This represents a 9.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.14% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Duke Energy

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Activest Wealth Management grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 98.1% during the 1st quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 212 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the period. Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy during the first quarter valued at $27,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the second quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Mascoma Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 53.7% during the 2nd quarter. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC now owns 249 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Duke Energy Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.

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Analyst Recommendations for Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK)

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