BMO Capital Markets Cuts Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Price Target to $139.00

Key Points

• BMO Capital Markets cut its price target for Duke Energy to $139 (from $143) but maintained an "outperform" rating, implying roughly an 8.9% upside from the current share price.
• Consensus remains broadly positive with an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $140.25 based on 19 analysts (1 Strong Buy, 9 Buy, 9 Hold).
• Shares recently traded around $127.63; notable insider activity includes CEO Louis Renjel selling 6,800 shares (a 23.6% reduction), while insiders overall hold just 0.12% of the stock.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) had its price target decreased by equities research analysts at BMO Capital Markets from $143.00 to $139.00 in a research report issued on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports. The firm currently has an "outperform" rating on the utilities provider's stock. BMO Capital Markets' price objective would indicate a potential upside of 8.91% from the stock's current price.

DUK has been the subject of a number of other reports. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Duke Energy from $141.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Barclays boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $127.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $141.00 target price on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Friday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $138.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Duke Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, March 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $140.25.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of Duke Energy stock traded up $2.38 on Wednesday, hitting $127.63. 368,507 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,242,616. Duke Energy has a 12-month low of $111.22 and a 12-month high of $134.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54. The company has a market cap of $99.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.21 and a beta of 0.46. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $129.70 and its 200 day simple moving average is $124.19.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The utilities provider reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.01. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.41% and a return on equity of 9.66%. The company had revenue of $7.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.57 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.66 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Duke Energy will post 6.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Duke Energy news, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 6,800 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.67, for a total value of $868,156.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 22,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,809,633.69. The trade was a 23.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Regis T. Repko sold 962 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.86, for a total value of $123,001.32. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 3,896 shares of the company's stock, valued at $498,142.56. The trade was a 19.80% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Pflug Koory LLC increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 3.0% in the third quarter. Pflug Koory LLC now owns 2,694 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $333,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the period. EWA LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 3.9% during the third quarter. EWA LLC now owns 2,203 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $273,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the period. Mill Creek Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 4.6% during the third quarter. Mill Creek Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,854 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $229,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the period. A4 Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. A4 Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,597 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $304,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Elm Partners Management LLC increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Elm Partners Management LLC now owns 9,254 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,085,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More Duke Energy News

Here are the key news stories impacting Duke Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Truist upgraded Duke to a "strong-buy," a bullish broker action that can prompt short-term buying interest from institutional and retail investors. Zacks.com
• Positive Sentiment: A Wells Fargo analyst flagged upside for DUK, reinforcing buy-side momentum and helping support the stock's uptick. Duke Energy Stock Price Expected to Rise
• Positive Sentiment: Brokerage consensus remains favorable (average rating ~ "Moderate Buy"), which sustains investor confidence versus outright sell-side pressure. Brokerage Ratings Summary
• Neutral Sentiment: Duke Energy Foundation announced $618,417 in Earth Day grants for North Carolina conservation and resilience — positive PR but unlikely to move fundamentals materially. NC Earth Day Grants
• Neutral Sentiment: Separate America250 grants ($275,000) for South Carolina green-space projects were announced — further community-focused PR with limited near-term financial impact. SC America250 Grants
• Neutral Sentiment: A company PR highlighting lineworkers' skills (regional rodeo) reinforces reliability and safety messaging but is unlikely to affect near-term earnings. Lineworkers Rodeo
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley published a pessimistic forecast for DUK, which can cap upside and pressure sentiment among more risk-averse investors. Morgan Stanley Forecast
• Negative Sentiment: Recent market commentary noted Duke underperformed the broader market in the prior session (a noticeable intra-week dip), a reminder that macro/utility-specific headwinds can reassert pressure. Recent Dip Coverage

Duke Energy Company Profile

Duke Energy Corporation is a U.S.-based electric power holding company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. The company's core business is the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Duke Energy operates a mix of regulated electric utilities and non-regulated energy businesses, providing essential energy infrastructure and services across multiple states.

Its operating activities include owning and operating generation assets across a portfolio that encompasses nuclear, natural gas, coal, hydroelectric and an expanding array of renewable resources, as well as battery storage and grid modernization projects.

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