Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have given a hold recommendation, eleven have assigned a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $136.50.

A number of brokerages recently commented on DUK. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $136.00 to $126.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Monday, December 15th. TD Cowen initiated coverage on Duke Energy in a report on Thursday, October 16th. They set a “buy” rating and a $143.00 target price for the company. Mizuho lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Finally, Evercore ISI assumed coverage on Duke Energy in a research report on Monday, October 6th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $143.00 price objective for the company.

Insider Transactions at Duke Energy

In other Duke Energy news, EVP Robert Alexander Glenn sold 8,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.80, for a total value of $1,015,160.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 11,367 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,407,234.60. The trade was a 41.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 11.6% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,754 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $728,000 after acquiring an additional 700 shares in the last quarter. Texas Capital Bank Wealth Management Services Inc bought a new position in Duke Energy in the 1st quarter worth $433,000. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 3.2% in the 1st quarter. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 6,076 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $741,000 after purchasing an additional 188 shares in the last quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 138.6% during the 1st quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S now owns 69,014 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $8,418,000 after purchasing an additional 40,089 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the first quarter valued at about $312,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of DUK stock opened at $116.36 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $122.30 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $121.24. Duke Energy has a 12-month low of $105.20 and a 12-month high of $130.03. The company has a quick ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54. The firm has a market cap of $90.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.49.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $8.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.51 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.98% and a net margin of 15.76%.Duke Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.62 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Duke Energy will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Investors of record on Friday, November 14th were issued a dividend of $1.065 per share. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 14th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 66.98%.

Duke Energy Company Profile

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.