Analysts Set Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) PT at $116.36

Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $117.07.

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on DUK shares. Barclays increased their target price on Duke Energy from $99.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. Scotiabank raised 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. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 price target on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $138.00 target price on the stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of DUK stock opened at $115.30 on Tuesday. Duke Energy has a 52 week low of $83.06 and a 52 week high of $118.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $88.98 billion, a PE ratio of 28.97, a P/E/G ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.56. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $113.65 and a two-hundred day moving average of $104.85.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $7.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.84 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.29% and a return on equity of 9.71%. The firm’s revenue was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.91 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Duke Energy will post 5.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 16th were issued a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.63%. This is a positive change from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.03. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 16th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 105.03%.

Insider Transactions at Duke Energy

In related news, EVP Louis E. Renjel sold 540 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.64, for a total transaction of $61,365.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 19,884 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,259,617.76. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the first quarter worth approximately $25,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 69.6% during the 2nd 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. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the first quarter valued at $30,000. Olistico Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the second quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Cedar Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Duke Energy by 101.2% during the first quarter. Cedar Wealth Management LLC now owns 336 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.