Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Given New $136.00 Price Target at Wells Fargo & Company

Key Points

• Wells Fargo raised its price target on Duke Energy to $136 (from $135) while keeping an equal weight rating, implying roughly a 6.35% upside from the current share price.
• Analyst views are mixed—nine Buy, eight Hold and one Sell—with an average target of $140.27; several firms (Barclays, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley) recently raised targets while RBC cut theirs.
• Duke beat estimates in its most recent quarter with EPS $1.50 and $7.94B revenue, trades around $127.88 with a ~$99.5B market cap, and has seen insider sales (CEO and SVP), leaving insider ownership at about 0.12%.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) had its price objective hoisted by equities researchers at Wells Fargo & Company from $135.00 to $136.00 in a research note issued to investors on Monday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage currently has an "equal weight" rating on the utilities provider's stock. Wells Fargo & Company's price objective points to a potential upside of 6.35% from the stock's current price.

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on DUK. Barclays upped their price objective on Duke Energy from $127.00 to $143.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Monday, December 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $141.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley set a $139.00 price objective on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $143.00 to $140.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $140.27.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of DUK opened at $127.88 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $99.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.28 and a beta of 0.46. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $129.54 and a 200-day simple moving average of $124.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a current ratio of 0.55. Duke Energy has a fifty-two week low of $111.22 and a fifty-two week high of $134.49.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 9th. The utilities provider reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.01. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.41% and a return on equity of 9.66%. The firm had revenue of $7.94 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.57 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.66 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Duke Energy

In other Duke Energy news, SVP Regis T. Repko sold 962 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.86, for a total value of $123,001.32. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 3,896 shares of the company's stock, valued at $498,142.56. This trade represents a 19.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 6,800 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 22,007 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,809,633.69. The trade was a 23.61% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in DUK. Weaver Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 0.7% during the first quarter. Weaver Capital Management LLC now owns 14,069 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,842,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co grew its stake in Duke Energy by 1.6% during the 1st quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 46,284 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $6,060,000 after purchasing an additional 743 shares in the last quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 19.8% during the 1st quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. now owns 7,246 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $949,000 after purchasing an additional 1,198 shares during the last quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 4.1% in the 1st quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,203 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $681,000 after purchasing an additional 203 shares in the last quarter. Finally, A. D. Beadell Investment Counsel Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the first quarter worth approximately $208,000. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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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