Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Price Target Raised to $136.00

Key Points

• Morgan Stanley raised Duke Energy’s price target from $132 to $136, implying about 8.6% upside from the current stock price.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed but constructive overall: Duke Energy has a Moderate Buy consensus rating with a $138.33 average target, even as some firms recently trimmed or adjusted their expectations.
• The company recently beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, reporting $1.93 EPS on $9.18 billion in revenue, while ongoing North Carolina rate-request reductions may ease regulatory pressure and support the stock.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) had its price target upped by equities researchers at Morgan Stanley from $132.00 to $136.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports. Morgan Stanley's price target points to a potential upside of 8.62% from the stock's current price.

Several other equities analysts also recently commented on DUK. Evercore raised their target price on Duke Energy from $139.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Monday, May 11th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on Duke Energy from $139.00 to $138.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Barclays cut their price objective on Duke Energy from $143.00 to $134.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Capitol Sec Mgt lowered shares of Duke Energy from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $139.00 to $136.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $138.33.

Duke Energy Price Performance

NYSE:DUK opened at $125.21 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.66. The company has a 50-day moving average of $125.11 and a 200-day moving average of $124.16. Duke Energy has a 52 week low of $113.89 and a 52 week high of $134.49. The company has a market capitalization of $97.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.28 and a beta of 0.39.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.87 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $9.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.44 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.49% and a return on equity of 9.73%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.76 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy will post 6.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Duke Energy

In other Duke Energy news, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.15, for a total value of $438,025.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 21,415 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,680,087.25. This trade represents a 14.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.37, for a total transaction of $2,487,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 96,102 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,952,205.74. This represents a 17.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.12% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its stake in Duke Energy by 5,254.4% in the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 2,735,816 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $358,227,000 after acquiring an additional 2,684,721 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 78,258,757 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $9,172,709,000 after purchasing an additional 1,957,592 shares during the period. Amundi lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 56.9% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 2,662,460 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $312,067,000 after purchasing an additional 965,808 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 13.1% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 8,236,893 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $965,446,000 after purchasing an additional 954,907 shares during the period. Finally, Milford Funds Ltd. bought a new stake in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $97,905,000. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Duke Energy

Here are the key news stories impacting Duke Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy lowered its proposed rate hike request after objections from North Carolina regulators and public criticism, a rare concession that may improve its chances of getting a settlement approved. Duke Energy reduces proposed rate increase following public pushback
• Positive Sentiment: The company also trimmed its request in front of the NC Utilities Commission, signaling flexibility in negotiations and potentially reducing regulatory uncertainty for Duke Energy Carolinas. Duke Energy takes rare step of lowering a rate request in front of the NC Utilities Commission
• Positive Sentiment: Despite a broader market slip, Duke Energy shares rose, supported by investor reaction to the rate-request reduction and the company’s defensive utility profile. Duke Energy (DUK) Increases Despite Market Slip: Here's What You Need to Know
• Neutral Sentiment: Other coverage focused on Duke Energy’s storm-related outage restoration work and local construction impacts, which are operational updates but not major catalysts for the stock. Duke Energy working to restore power to thousands of customers after storms
• Neutral Sentiment: Environmental groups are also challenging North Carolina’s pause on Duke Energy solar projects, adding a policy headline but not an immediate earnings driver. Environmental groups challenge North Carolina’s pause on Duke Energy solar projects

About Duke Energy

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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