Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) Receives $126.94 Consensus Target Price from Analysts

Shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) have been given an average rating of "Moderate Buy" by the seventeen analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $126.94.

DUK has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Duke Energy from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $125.00 to $132.00 in a report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $125.00 to $124.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on Duke Energy in a research note on Friday, June 13th. They set a "market perform" rating on the stock. Citigroup boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $130.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE DUK traded up $0.68 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $116.93. 3,567,516 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,474,279. The stock has a market capitalization of $90.89 billion, a PE ratio of 19.39, a PEG ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57. Duke Energy has a 52 week low of $99.21 and a 52 week high of $125.27. The company's 50 day moving average price is $117.62 and its 200 day moving average price is $115.01.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $8.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.70 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.88% and a net margin of 15.40%. The company's revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.44 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Duke Energy will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th were paid a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 16th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.57%. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.32%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Duke Energy

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of DUK. Toth Financial Advisory Corp raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 31.6% in the first quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp now owns 346 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 4.8% in the 1st quarter. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. now owns 1,827 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $223,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in Duke Energy by 2.8% during the 1st quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,034 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $370,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the period. Lokken Investment Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 3.3% in the 1st quarter. Lokken Investment Group LLC now owns 2,633 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $321,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sheets Smith Wealth Management raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 0.3% during the first quarter. Sheets Smith Wealth Management now owns 27,517 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,356,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company's stock.

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.