Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Given New $128.00 Price Target at Morgan Stanley

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) had its price objective increased by Morgan Stanley from $127.00 to $128.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “equal weight” rating on the utilities provider’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 5.38% from the company’s current price.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on DUK. Truist Financial reduced their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $135.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $137.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 13th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Duke Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $124.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 9th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $134.00 to $132.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $132.80.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of DUK traded up $0.13 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $121.46. The stock had a trading volume of 869,998 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,984,630. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47. The company has a market capitalization of $94.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.36. The company’s 50-day moving average is $118.87 and its 200 day moving average is $123.58. Duke Energy has a 12-month low of $112.40 and a 12-month high of $134.49.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 3rd. The utilities provider reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.30 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $7.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.66 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.78% and a net margin of 15.78%. Duke Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.25 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Duke Energy will post 6.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Duke Energy

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. IAG Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 154.6% in the 1st quarter. IAG Wealth Partners LLC now owns 275 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Evergreen Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the first quarter valued at about $36,000. Dynamic Wealth Strategies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the first quarter valued at about $38,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 53.1% during the first quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC now owns 297 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gill Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 128.9% during the second quarter. Gill Capital Partners LLC now owns 309 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

About Duke Energy

Duke Energy Corporation is an energy holding company that provides regulated electric and natural gas utility services in the United States. Its electric utilities generate, transmit, distribute and sell electricity to residential, commercial, industrial and other customers. The company’s generation portfolio includes nuclear, natural gas, coal, hydroelectric and renewable energy resources.

Duke Energy serves customers primarily in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky.