Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Receives $125.81 Average Target Price from Analysts

Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the sixteen ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $125.81.

A number of research firms recently weighed in on DUK. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Citigroup increased their target price on Duke Energy from $130.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Duke Energy from $126.00 to $125.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 10th.

Duke Energy Trading Up 1.9%

NYSE:DUK traded up $2.16 on Friday, reaching $117.61. The company's stock had a trading volume of 8,077,893 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,461,048. Duke Energy has a 12-month low of $99.21 and a 12-month high of $125.27. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $118.76 and a 200 day moving average price of $114.79. The firm has a market cap of $91.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39. 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 - Get Free Report) last posted 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. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. The company had revenue of $8.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.70 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.44 earnings per share. Duke Energy's revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Duke Energy will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.55%. Duke Energy's payout ratio is 69.32%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Duke Energy

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of DUK. Bcwm LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $9,815,000. Bailard Inc. increased its stake in Duke Energy by 10.9% in the fourth quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 31,921 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,439,000 after purchasing an additional 3,139 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 25.7% during the fourth quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 35,755 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,852,000 after purchasing an additional 7,319 shares in the last quarter. First Business Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $384,000. Finally, Alley Investment Management Company LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 36.4% in the 4th quarter. Alley Investment Management Company LLC now owns 76,477 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $8,240,000 after buying an additional 20,414 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company's stock.

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.