Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Price Target Lowered to $127.00 at Morgan Stanley

Key Points

• Morgan Stanley lowered its price target for Duke Energy from $129.00 to $127.00, maintaining an "equal weight" rating, indicating a potential upside of 2.94% from the previous close.
• Duke Energy reported $1.25 earnings per share for the last quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.29, while revenue rose by 4.7% year-on-year, reaching $7.51 billion.
• Currently, eight research analysts rate Duke Energy as a Buy and six as Hold, resulting in a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $130.85.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) had its price objective decreased by investment analysts at Morgan Stanley from $129.00 to $127.00 in a report issued on Thursday,MarketScreener reports. The firm currently has an "equal weight" rating on the utilities provider's stock. Morgan Stanley's price target would indicate a potential upside of 2.94% from the company's previous close.

A number of other research analysts have also recently issued reports on DUK. Raymond James Financial started coverage on Duke Energy in a research note on Friday, June 13th. They set a "market perform" rating for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $127.00 to $131.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $127.00 price target (up previously from $124.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Scotiabank boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $120.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $131.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $130.85.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.2%

DUK stock opened at $123.37 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $95.94 billion, a PE ratio of 20.16, a PEG ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. Duke Energy has a twelve month low of $105.20 and a twelve month high of $127.85. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $122.10 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $119.43.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.29 by ($0.04). Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.85% and a net margin of 15.51%.The company had revenue of $7.51 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.07 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.18 earnings per share. Duke Energy's revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Duke Energy has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.170-6.420 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Duke Energy will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Thomas Preston Jr. Gillespie sold 6,700 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.26, for a total value of $832,542.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 46,422 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,768,397.72. The trade was a 12.61% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Bonnie B. Titone sold 2,000 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.38, for a total transaction of $248,760.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 19,608 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,438,843.04. The trade was a 9.26% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Duke Energy

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 11.6% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,754 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $728,000 after buying an additional 700 shares during the period. Forum Financial Management LP acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $222,000. Park Square Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $66,000. Mattson Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Centaurus Financial Inc. grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 5,409 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $583,000 after buying an additional 266 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.

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