Analysts Set Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Price Target at $122.93

Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the fifteen ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $123.87.

DUK has been the topic of several research reports. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday. Scotiabank upped their target price on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target 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.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:DUK opened at $118.12 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $91.78 billion, a PE ratio of 20.69, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. Duke Energy has a 52-week low of $92.75 and a 52-week high of $121.47. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $114.39 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $113.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.67.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. Analysts forecast that Duke Energy will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.54%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is currently 73.20%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Duke Energy

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

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.