Jefferies Financial Group Cuts Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Price Target to $125.00

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) had its price target decreased by stock analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from $126.00 to $125.00 in a research note issued on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage currently has a “hold” rating on the utilities provider’s stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s target price suggests a potential upside of 5.22% from the company’s current price.

Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Mizuho upped their price objective on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $135.00 to $127.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Royal Bank Of Canada upgraded shares of Duke Energy to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $138.00 to $136.00 in a research report on Monday, November 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $135.56.

Duke Energy Price Performance

DUK stock traded up $0.12 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $118.80. The company had a trading volume of 3,715,166 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,402,734. The business has a 50 day moving average of $119.14 and a 200 day moving average of $121.36. The company has a current ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $92.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.50. Duke Energy has a fifty-two week low of $105.90 and a fifty-two week high of $130.03.

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

Insider Activity at Duke Energy

In other news, EVP Robert Alexander Glenn sold 8,200 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.80, for a total transaction of $1,015,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 11,367 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,407,234.60. This trade represents a 41.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Duke Energy

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 0.8% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 76,301,165 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $9,442,269,000 after purchasing an additional 584,382 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 1.7% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 18,684,447 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,205,070,000 after acquiring an additional 319,001 shares in the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Duke Energy by 11,417.7% during the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 17,668,789 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,084,917,000 after buying an additional 17,515,383 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,691,150 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,025,244,000 after purchasing an additional 34,906 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 0.4% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,758,700 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $960,139,000 after buying an additional 31,703 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

More Duke Energy News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Brought a $100M, 50‑MW, four‑hour grid battery online at the retired Allen coal plant and announced plans for a 167‑MW expansion; Duke says the projects will lower fuel costs, capture federal tax credits and support growth across the Carolinas — a material infrastructure growth story that investors typically view as positive for long‑term earnings and transition strategy. Duke Energy brings new grid battery on line at former Allen coal plant
• Positive Sentiment: South Carolina regulators approved Duke rate increases, which should raise allowed utility revenues and support near‑term cash flow and earnings stability in that jurisdiction. South Carolina regulators approve Duke Energy rate increases
• Neutral Sentiment: Longtime EVP and Chief Generation Officer Preston Gillespie will retire after 40 years — an executive succession item that creates some near‑term leadership change risk but is not unexpected. Monitor succession details for any operational guidance changes. Duke Energy announces leadership changes in its generation and operational excellence organization
• Neutral Sentiment: Local customer and community initiatives (e.g., free tree programs in Florida) are being promoted; positive for PR/customer goodwill but unlikely to move fundamentals. Duke Energy offers free trees for customers in Florida
• Negative Sentiment: Duke Energy Florida will remove its storm cost‑recovery charge from customer bills a month earlier than planned, producing an approximate $33 reduction for residential bills in February and an additional ~$11 in March — good for customers but a near‑term reduction in billed recoveries and cash inflows for the utility unit. Duke Energy Florida announces storm cost recovery charge will be removed
• Negative Sentiment: Reports show Duke is retreating from a planned large pumped‑hydro expansion, which could limit future large‑scale storage options and raise questions about the company’s longer‑term storage strategy. That may pressure investor expectations for growth in certain clean‑energy segments. Why is Duke Energy retreating from a major pumped-hydro expansion?

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.