Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) Stock Has Average Target Price of $132.19

Shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the eighteen brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and nine have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $132.19.

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $137.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 13th. HSBC started coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. They set a “hold” rating and a $123.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Barclays reduced their price target on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $124.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 9th. Finally, KeyCorp dropped their price objective on Duke Energy from $139.00 to $128.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 13th.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:DUK opened at $128.59 on Friday. Duke Energy has a twelve month low of $112.40 and a twelve month high of $134.49. The stock has a market cap of $100.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.80, a PEG ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.49. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $120.51 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $124.71.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.99 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.86 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $9.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.91 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.82% and a net margin of 15.94%. The company’s revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.81 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Duke Energy will post 6.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 16th. Investors of record on Friday, November 13th will be given a dividend of $1.0850 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 13th. This represents a $4.34 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.4%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is currently 63.45%.

Key Duke Energy News

Here’s some of the latest news about DUK:

• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy Florida plans four solar sites totaling 300 MW, paired with battery storage, and forecasts about $1 billion in customer savings over the projects’ lifetimes. The additions could support reliability and provide a lower-cost source of power, though the savings are not a direct earnings estimate. What Could Duke Energy Gain From Four New Florida Solar Sites?
• Positive Sentiment: North Carolina’s removal of a key climate target has reportedly benefited Duke financially this year, potentially easing constraints on its generation plans. The policy shift may also invite continued scrutiny from climate advocates. North Carolina law and Duke Energy
• Neutral Sentiment: Lenders consented to an internal merger between Duke Energy Progress and Duke Energy Carolinas, while the company retained its $10 billion revolving credit facility. This supports financing flexibility but appears primarily administrative. Duke Energy secures merger credit consent

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Bonnie Titone sold 2,900 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.00, for a total transaction of $371,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 26,111 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,342,208. This trade represents a 10.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Duke Energy

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of DUK. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in Duke Energy in the 2nd quarter worth about $605,680,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its stake in Duke Energy by 5,254.4% during the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 2,735,816 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $358,227,000 after acquiring an additional 2,684,721 shares during the period. Cullen Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at about $244,731,000. Great Lakes Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at about $100,586,000. Finally, VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the second quarter worth approximately $88,657,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Duke Energy

Duke Energy is a U.S. energy company focused primarily on regulated electric utilities and natural gas distribution. Its businesses generate, transmit and distribute electricity, and provide natural gas service to residential, commercial and industrial customers. The company serves electric customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. Its natural gas distribution operations serve customers in several states, including North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee.