Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $123.87.

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Guggenheim upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Scotiabank upped their target price on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Duke Energy

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of DUK. Mattson Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Finally, WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of DUK opened at $118.12 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $91.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.69, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $114.39 and its 200 day moving average price is $113.66. Duke Energy has a fifty-two week low of $92.75 and a fifty-two week high of $121.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.67 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 the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. On average, research analysts forecast that Duke Energy will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 73.20%.

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.