Morgan Stanley Has Lowered Expectations for Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Stock Price

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) had its price target lowered by equities research analysts at Morgan Stanley from $125.00 to $124.00 in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an "equal weight" rating on the utilities provider's stock. Morgan Stanley's price target indicates a potential upside of 7.43% from the company's previous close.

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on DUK. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $127.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $127.00 price objective (up previously from $126.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $125.75.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:DUK traded up $0.84 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $115.42. 6,188,001 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,469,705. The stock has a market cap of $89.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57. 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 $117.95 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $114.90.

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

Institutional Trading of Duke Energy

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in DUK. Activest Wealth Management raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 98.1% during the 1st quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 212 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy in the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy in the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.