Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Price Target Raised to $128.00 at Morgan Stanley

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) had its price objective lifted by Morgan Stanley from $123.00 to $128.00 in a report published on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. Morgan Stanley currently has an equal weight rating on the utilities provider’s stock.

Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on DUK. Guggenheim lifted their price objective 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. Scotiabank increased their price objective on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $123.64.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.7 %

NYSE:DUK opened at $120.17 on Thursday. Duke Energy has a 52 week low of $92.75 and a 52 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. The company has a market cap of $93.37 billion, a PE ratio of 21.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. The business’s 50 day moving average is $113.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $113.65.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. On average, analysts predict that Duke Energy will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were issued a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.48%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 73.20%.

Institutional Trading of Duke Energy

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 31,353 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,378,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,456 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $372,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the period. Intergy Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Intergy Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,113 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $228,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its stake in Duke Energy by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 7,233 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $779,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cravens & Co Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. Cravens & Co Advisors LLC now owns 2,624 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $283,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Duke Energy

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.