Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) have earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $134.1875.

DUK has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $141.00 price target on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Scotiabank upped their price objective on Duke Energy from $137.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Duke Energy from $141.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley reissued an “underperform” rating and issued a $130.00 price target on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Mizuho set a $130.00 price objective on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Tuesday.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Duke Energy news, EVP Robert Alexander Glenn sold 8,200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.80, for a total transaction of $1,015,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 11,367 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,407,234.60. This represents a 41.91% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Duke Energy

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in DUK. Dorato Capital Management bought a new stake in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 1,111.1% during the 4th quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 218 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the third quarter valued at $27,000. Triumph Capital Management increased its position in Duke Energy by 68.6% in the fourth quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 231 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the second quarter valued at $28,000. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Price Performance

NYSE DUK opened at $126.14 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54. Duke Energy has a 12 month low of $110.51 and a 12 month high of $130.03. The stock has a market cap of $98.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.96, a PEG ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.51. The company’s 50 day moving average is $118.44 and its two-hundred day moving average is $121.73.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The utilities provider reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $7.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.57 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.41% and a return on equity of 9.66%. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.66 earnings per share. Duke Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.550-6.800 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be issued a $1.065 dividend. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is currently 67.41%.

Duke Energy News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs raised its price target on DUK to $142 and reaffirmed a “buy” rating, implying meaningful upside versus recent levels — supportive for investor sentiment and the stock. Goldman Sachs price target
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat: Duke reported EPS roughly in line/just ahead of consensus and set FY2026 guidance at $6.55–$6.80, which supports earnings growth expectations and the dividend coverage outlook. (Earnings call and analyst write-ups indicate the beat and guidance.) Earnings and analysis
• Positive Sentiment: Data-center demand is expanding Duke’s growth runway: the company’s pipeline hit ~4.5 GW as hyperscale and cloud providers expand, supporting future electricity sales and infrastructure investment. Data center pipeline
• Positive Sentiment: Large reported net income (~$4.9–$5.0B for the year) underscores profitability and cash flow that can support dividends and capex plans. Net income report
• Neutral Sentiment: Duke is rolling out AI tools to detect customer-facing scams — a positive customer-protection move but unlikely to materially change near-term revenue or earnings. AI scam detection
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage and research notes (e.g., Argus and other reports) are circulating; they reinforce the beat/guidance story but don’t change fundamentals immediately. Analyst report
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and political risk: several outlets note pending rate increases that will raise customer bills, which can attract public and regulatory pushback and increase execution risk for approved rate relief. Rate increase coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Municipal risk: St. Petersburg is taking steps to consider a city-run electric utility, which highlights political/local risk that could impair franchise stability in specific markets if pursued. St. Petersburg municipal move

About Duke Energy

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.