Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen analysts that are currently covering the company, 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 1 year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $121.62.

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price 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. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. 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. Finally, Scotiabank upped their price target on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Duke Energy

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 27.4% during the third quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 17,002 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,960,000 after purchasing an additional 3,656 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in Duke Energy by 19.9% during the 3rd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 28,436 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,279,000 after purchasing an additional 4,728 shares during the period. Eastern Bank purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $609,000. Private Advisor Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 76,405 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $8,810,000 after buying an additional 1,308 shares during the period. Finally, Greenleaf Trust boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 5.3% in the third quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 18,925 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,182,000 after buying an additional 958 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE DUK opened at $117.29 on Friday. Duke Energy has a 52-week low of $90.09 and a 52-week high of $121.25. The business’s 50 day moving average is $110.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $113.06. The firm has a market cap of $90.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.54, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. Research analysts predict that Duke Energy will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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 of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.56%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 73.20%.

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.