Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Downgraded to Sector Weight at KeyCorp

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) was downgraded by analysts at KeyCorp from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a report released on Tuesday, Marketbeat.com reports.

A number of other analysts also recently commented on the stock. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 29th. Barclays increased their price objective on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $111.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 12th. Scotiabank upped their target price on Duke Energy from $104.00 to $113.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $135.00 price target on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Duke Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $121.85.

Duke Energy Price Performance

NYSE DUK opened at $119.90 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $92.54 billion, a PE ratio of 30.13, a P/E/G ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.53. Duke Energy has a 12 month low of $85.79 and a 12 month high of $121.25. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $115.13 and its 200 day simple moving average is $106.98.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $7.17 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.84 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.71% and a net margin of 14.29%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.91 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Duke Energy will post 5.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Duke Energy

In related news, EVP Louis E. Renjel sold 540 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.64, for a total value of $61,365.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 19,884 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,259,617.76. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Duke Energy

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the first quarter worth $25,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its position in Duke Energy by 69.6% during the second quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 290 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Olistico Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Riverview Trust Co bought a new position in Duke Energy during the first quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Sachetta LLC raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 41.9% in the 2nd quarter. Sachetta LLC now owns 325 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.