Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) Receives $138.33 Average Price Target from Brokerages

Shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the seventeen analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Eight 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 objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $138.3333.

Several equities analysts have weighed in on DUK shares. Evercore lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $139.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on Duke Energy from $142.00 to $137.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 18th. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $137.00 to $135.00 in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Duke Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Duke Energy from $139.00 to $136.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th.

Key Duke Energy News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy Florida said it will deliver $50 million in customer savings and avoid a planned 2027 base rate increase by accelerating the return of tax credits tied to its battery storage system, reinforcing the company’s ability to manage rates and support customers. Duke Energy Florida delivers $50 million in customer savings, avoids 2027 base rate increase through innovative tax strategy
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple market write-ups highlighted Duke Energy as a stable, cash-generating utility with solid sales growth, favorable valuation metrics, and stronger revenue consistency than some peers, which can support investor confidence in the stock. Invest in These 3 Sales Growth Stocks for Robust Returns
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage comparing Duke Energy with other utilities suggested the company has held up well versus the sector this year, underscoring its defensive appeal relative to peers. Has Duke Energy (DUK) Outpaced Other Utilities Stocks This Year?
• Neutral Sentiment: Articles about Duke Energy’s customer bill assistance and free home inspections are favorable from a public-relations standpoint, but they are unlikely to materially affect near-term earnings or valuation. Duke Energy to provide credit assistance for customers
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader industry reporting on surging data-center power demand and equipment shortages could eventually benefit utilities like Duke Energy through higher load growth, but it also signals higher costs and longer lead times, making the near-term impact mixed. US power companies scramble to secure equipment as surging data center demand strains supplies
• Negative Sentiment: Duke Energy is still facing regulatory pushback in North Carolina after reducing its requested residential rate hike, which keeps pressure on the company’s ability to win approval for higher rates. Duke reduces rate hike request, still faces regulator pushback

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.15, for a total transaction of $438,025.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 21,415 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,680,087.25. This trade represents a 14.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.37, for a total value of $2,487,400.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 96,102 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,952,205.74. The trade was a 17.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 5,254.4% in the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 2,735,816 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $358,227,000 after purchasing an additional 2,684,721 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 78,258,757 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $9,172,709,000 after acquiring an additional 1,957,592 shares during the period. Amundi lifted its position in Duke Energy by 56.9% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 2,662,460 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $312,067,000 after acquiring an additional 965,808 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 13.1% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 8,236,893 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $965,446,000 after acquiring an additional 954,907 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Milford Funds Ltd. acquired a new stake in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $97,905,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Duke Energy stock opened at $125.47 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $97.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.21 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.44. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $124.95 and a 200-day simple moving average of $125.18. Duke Energy has a 1-year low of $113.89 and a 1-year high of $134.49.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $0.06. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.49% and a return on equity of 9.73%. The firm had revenue of $9.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.44 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.76 EPS. Duke Energy’s revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Duke Energy will post 6.71 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th were 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 of this dividend was Friday, May 15th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is currently 65.24%.

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.