Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Given New $125.00 Price Target at Morgan Stanley

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) had its price objective lowered by equities researchers at Morgan Stanley from $126.00 to $125.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an "equal weight" rating on the utilities provider's stock. Morgan Stanley's target price suggests a potential upside of 7.32% from the company's current price.

DUK has been the topic of several other reports. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $127.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Barclays increased their target price on Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Citigroup boosted 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. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $125.81.

Duke Energy Stock Down 0.7%

NYSE:DUK opened at $116.47 on Thursday. Duke Energy has a 1-year low of $99.21 and a 1-year high of $125.27. The company has a market capitalization of $90.53 billion, a PE ratio of 20.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $119.20 and its 200-day moving average price is $114.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.44.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.17. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. The firm had revenue of $8.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.70 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.44 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Duke Energy will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Duke Energy

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Duke Energy by 2.3% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 74,562,000 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $9,094,327,000 after buying an additional 1,676,061 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its stake in Duke Energy by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 18,097,796 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,949,857,000 after acquiring an additional 124,863 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 17,873,788 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,930,833,000 after acquiring an additional 385,612 shares during the period. GQG Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 17,880.0% during the 1st quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 10,249,508 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,250,133,000 after purchasing an additional 10,192,503 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 4.9% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 8,921,517 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,088,158,000 after purchasing an additional 418,014 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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