UBS Group Issues Positive Forecast for Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Stock Price

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) had its price target upped by stock analysts at UBS Group from $123.00 to $127.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “neutral” rating on the utilities provider’s stock. UBS Group’s price target suggests a potential upside of 6.47% from the company’s current price.

Several other analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Scotiabank upped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Guggenheim increased their price objective on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $123.87.

Duke Energy Stock Down 0.7 %

NYSE DUK traded down $0.88 on Friday, hitting $119.28. 1,314,350 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,978,860. Duke Energy has a 12 month low of $92.75 and a 12 month high of $121.47. The company has a market cap of $92.69 billion, a PE ratio of 20.87, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $113.89 and a 200-day moving average of $113.65. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. As a group, analysts forecast that Duke Energy will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Duke Energy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Groupama Asset Managment purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the third quarter worth about $2,537,000. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $163,819,000. Zimmer Partners LP bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $166,263,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in Duke Energy by 155.1% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,873,321 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $201,832,000 after acquiring an additional 1,138,979 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Wealth Planning LLC increased its position in Duke Energy by 116.5% during the 4th quarter. Capital Wealth Planning LLC now owns 2,065,344 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $222,520,000 after purchasing an additional 1,111,581 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Company Profile

Duke Energy Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an energy company in the United States. It operates through two segments: Electric Utilities and Infrastructure (EU&I), and Gas Utilities and Infrastructure (GU&I). The EU&I segment generates, transmits, distributes, and sells electricity in the Carolinas, Florida, and the Midwest.