Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Price Target Raised to $124.00 at BMO Capital Markets

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) had its price target hoisted by BMO Capital Markets from $119.00 to $124.00 in a research note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an outperform rating on the utilities provider’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on DUK. Mizuho upgraded shares of Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $116.00 to $121.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Scotiabank increased their price objective on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, KeyCorp cut Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $122.08.

Duke Energy Stock Up 1.1 %

Duke Energy stock opened at $113.21 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $87.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.81, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.49. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $110.03 and its 200-day simple moving average is $112.57. Duke Energy has a twelve month low of $90.09 and a twelve month high of $121.25. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.73 by ($0.11). Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 9.34%. The company had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.06 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.94 EPS. Duke Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Duke Energy will post 5.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.69%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 76.84%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of DUK. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. CGC Financial Services LLC increased its position in Duke Energy by 366.7% during the 4th quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 308 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 242 shares during the period. Finally, Winch Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 332.9% during the 4th quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 316 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.