Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Stock Price Expected to Rise, UBS Group Analyst Says

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) had its target price hoisted by equities research analysts at UBS Group from $124.00 to $127.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "neutral" rating on the utilities provider's stock. UBS Group's price objective would indicate a potential upside of 7.86% from the stock's current price.

DUK has been the topic of a number of other reports. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $122.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 1st. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $127.00 to $138.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Raymond James Financial started coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Friday, June 13th. They issued a "market perform" rating on the stock. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $130.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $126.88.

Duke Energy Stock Down 0.4%

DUK stock traded down $0.43 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $117.74. 1,092,089 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,470,626. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 0.77. Duke Energy has a 1-year low of $102.66 and a 1-year high of $125.27. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $116.87 and its 200 day simple moving average is $115.64. The company has a market cap of $91.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.37.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $8.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.70 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.40% and a return on equity of 9.88%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.44 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Duke Energy will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in DUK. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 11.6% during the 4th 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 last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $282,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its stake in Duke Energy by 25.7% in the 4th quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 35,755 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,852,000 after purchasing an additional 7,319 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its stake in Duke Energy by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 12,678 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,366,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its stake in Duke Energy by 1,500.0% in the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.