Morgan Stanley Trims Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Target Price to $98.00

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) had its price target reduced by Morgan Stanley from $103.00 to $98.00 in a report published on Monday, Benzinga reports. Morgan Stanley currently has an equal weight rating on the utilities provider’s stock.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $108.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Monday, May 20th. Mizuho upped their target price on Duke Energy from $89.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Barclays raised their target price on Duke Energy from $99.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Monday, April 15th. Scotiabank decreased their price target on Duke Energy from $101.00 to $94.00 and set a sector perform rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 22nd. Finally, Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $102.33.

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of DUK opened at $99.96 on Monday. Duke Energy has a twelve month low of $83.06 and a twelve month high of $104.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $77.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $101.12 and its 200 day simple moving average is $97.36.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.44 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.39 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $7.67 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.31 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.25% and a net margin of 10.78%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.20 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Duke Energy will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 17th were given a $1.025 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $4.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.10%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 103.02%.

Insider Activity at Duke Energy

In other Duke Energy news, CEO Lynn J. Good sold 15,000 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.30, for a total value of $1,549,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 437,464 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $45,190,031.20. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Duke Energy news, Director E Marie Mckee sold 1,695 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.31, for a total value of $173,415.45. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 4 shares in the company, valued at $409.24. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Lynn J. Good sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.30, for a total value of $1,549,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 437,464 shares in the company, valued at $45,190,031.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 26,695 shares of company stock valued at $2,750,815. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Duke Energy

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 233.1% during the third quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 17,253 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,523,000 after buying an additional 12,073 shares during the last quarter. Operose Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 263.2% during the third quarter. Operose Advisors LLC now owns 868 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $77,000 after purchasing an additional 629 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 20.5% during the third quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 82,161 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $7,252,000 after purchasing an additional 13,991 shares in the last quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC grew its position in Duke Energy by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 27,060 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,388,000 after buying an additional 577 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MFA Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Duke Energy by 7.1% during the 3rd quarter. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 17,203 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,518,000 after buying an additional 1,139 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.