Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Receives $123.87 Average Target Price from Analysts

Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) have been given an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the sixteen brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $126.00.

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on DUK shares. Guggenheim increased their price target on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Duke Energy stock traded up $0.31 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $120.31. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,036,352 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,378,097. The firm has a market cap of $93.51 billion, a PE ratio of 21.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $119.48 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $114.64. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. Duke Energy has a fifty-two week low of $99.21 and a fifty-two week high of $125.27.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $8.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.70 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. The business's revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.44 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast 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, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. Duke Energy's payout ratio is currently 69.32%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Duke Energy

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. 1834 Investment Advisors Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the first quarter worth $207,000. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC raised its stake in Duke Energy by 2.0% during the first quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 45,894 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $5,627,000 after acquiring an additional 911 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 1.1% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,656,244 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,055,087,000 after acquiring an additional 93,699 shares during the period. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 5.6% during the first quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 10,982 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,340,000 after purchasing an additional 583 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Strategy Asset Managers LLC raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 2.5% during the 1st quarter. Strategy Asset Managers LLC now owns 36,065 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $4,399,000 after purchasing an additional 884 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is 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.