Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Sets New 52-Week High - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• Duke Energy reached a new 52-week high of $128.49, closing at $127.88 with a trading volume of 254,554 shares.
• Analysts have mixed opinions on the stock, with ten rating it a "Buy" and six a "Hold," resulting in a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $134.38.
• Institutional investors are significantly increasing their holdings, with notable increases from firms like Laurel Wealth Advisors and GQG Partners, enhancing Duke Energy’s institutional ownership to 65.31%.

Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $128.49 and last traded at $127.88, with a volume of 254554 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $126.09.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on DUK shares. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Duke Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $141.00 to $134.00 in a report on Friday, September 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $127.00 to $131.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Monday, October 6th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $143.00 price objective on the stock. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $131.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $134.38.

Duke Energy Trading Up 1.3%

The stock has a market capitalization of $99.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.76, a PEG ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.42. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $123.10 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $119.93.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Duke Energy

In related news, EVP Thomas Preston Jr. Gillespie sold 6,700 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at $5,768,397.72. This represents a 12.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Bonnie B. Titone sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 19,608 shares in the company, valued at $2,438,843.04. This represents a 9.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Duke Energy

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of DUK. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 11,417.7% in the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 17,668,789 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,084,917,000 after acquiring an additional 17,515,383 shares during the last quarter. GQG Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 17,880.0% in the first quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 10,249,508 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,250,133,000 after purchasing an additional 10,192,503 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy during the first quarter valued at approximately $702,351,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. raised its position in Duke Energy by 88.1% during the first quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 4,861,309 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $592,934,000 after acquiring an additional 2,276,948 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Duke Energy by 2.3% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 74,562,000 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $9,094,327,000 after acquiring an additional 1,676,061 shares in the last quarter. 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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