Brokerages Set Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) PT at $135.75

Shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the seventeen analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $136.8667.

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on DUK. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $136.00 to $126.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Evercore reissued an “in-line” rating and set a $139.00 target price on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Thursday. UBS Group lowered their price target on Duke Energy from $135.00 to $126.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Scotiabank increased their price objective on Duke Energy from $137.00 to $146.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Duke Energy from $115.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Duke Energy stock opened at $131.68 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $102.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.50. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $122.27 and its 200 day moving average price is $122.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a current ratio of 0.55. Duke Energy has a 1 year low of $111.22 and a 1 year high of $132.65.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 9th. The utilities provider reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.01. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.41% and a return on equity of 9.66%. The company had revenue of $7.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.57 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.66 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be paid a $1.065 dividend. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 67.41%.

Key Headlines Impacting Duke Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Evercore reaffirmed an “in-line” rating and set a $139 price target (about mid-single-digit upside vs. current levels), supporting the view that analysts see limited but tangible upside from here. Finviz: Evercore reaffirmation
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target to $135 and kept an “equal weight” stance, another analyst move that narrows the gap between consensus targets and the stock’s current level. Benzinga: Wells Fargo price target raise
• Positive Sentiment: DUK hit a new 52‑week high after an analyst upgrade, reflecting momentum from recent upgrades and the stock’s strong YTD performance. AmericanBankingNews: 52-Week High After Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary highlights Duke as a beneficiary of sector rotation into defensive, dividend‑paying utilities; analysts and investors cite stable cash flows, dividend yield and exposure to gas/nuclear as reasons for continued interest. MarketBeat: 3 Blue-Chip Stocks Built for a Rotating Market
• Positive Sentiment: Operational reliability is improving: Duke reports multi‑decade lows in average outage duration after grid upgrades, and Duke Energy Florida highlighted record‑low outage times—both points that support regulatory credibility and lower storm‑related costs. Yahoo: Lowest power outage times after grid upgrades Yahoo Finance: Duke Energy Florida record-low outage time
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks and other trending stock notes point to increased investor attention on DUK (search/traffic can amplify moves short‑term) but offer no new fundamental catalyst beyond existing analyst and operational news. Zacks: Trending Stock Note
• Neutral Sentiment: Smaller operational items—helicopter tree trimming in the Wabash Valley and AI tools to detect customer scams—underscore ongoing distribution maintenance and cost‑control/anti‑fraud initiatives, which are supportive long term but unlikely to move the stock materially on their own. WTHI: Tree trimming by helicopter Daily Energy Insider: AI to detect scams

Insider Activity at Duke Energy

In other Duke Energy news, SVP Regis T. Repko sold 962 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.86, for a total transaction of $123,001.32. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 3,896 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $498,142.56. The trade was a 19.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 6,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.67, for a total value of $868,156.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 22,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,809,633.69. This trade represents a 23.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Duke Energy

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew 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 buying an additional 1,957,592 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 19,292,633 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,266,675,000 after acquiring an additional 230,375 shares during the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Duke Energy by 11,417.7% in the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 17,668,789 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,084,917,000 after acquiring an additional 17,515,383 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Duke Energy by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,931,127 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,046,818,000 after acquiring an additional 58,375 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in Duke Energy by 13.1% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 8,236,893 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $965,446,000 after purchasing an additional 954,907 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

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.