Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Raised to Buy at The Goldman Sachs Group

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report issued on Wednesday,Finviz reports. The firm presently has a $132.00 price objective on the utilities provider's stock. The Goldman Sachs Group's price target suggests a potential upside of 12.84% from the company's previous close.

Several other analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Raymond James Financial began coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Friday, June 13th. They issued a "market perform" rating on the stock. Citigroup raised their price objective on Duke Energy from $130.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $125.00 to $124.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $126.94.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.0%

DUK opened at $116.98 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.50. The company has a market capitalization of $90.92 billion, a PE ratio of 19.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.37. Duke Energy has a fifty-two week low of $99.21 and a fifty-two week high of $125.27. The business has a 50-day moving average of $117.81 and a 200-day moving average of $114.97.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Toth Financial Advisory Corp grew its stake in Duke Energy by 31.6% in the first quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp now owns 346 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the period. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 4.8% in the 1st quarter. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. now owns 1,827 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $223,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in Duke Energy by 2.8% during the 1st quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,034 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $370,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Lokken Investment Group LLC raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 3.3% during the 1st quarter. Lokken Investment Group LLC now owns 2,633 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $321,000 after buying an additional 84 shares during the period. Finally, Sheets Smith Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 0.3% in the first quarter. Sheets Smith Wealth Management now owns 27,517 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,356,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

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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