Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) PT Lowered to $99.00 at BMO Capital Markets

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) had its price target reduced by equities research analysts at BMO Capital Markets from $101.00 to $99.00 in a research report issued on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an "outperform" rating on the utilities provider's stock. BMO Capital Markets' target price indicates a potential upside of 6.61% from the company's current price.

A number of other brokerages have also weighed in on DUK. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $103.00 to $100.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $89.00 to $99.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Duke Energy from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $101.00 to $113.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 10th. Finally, Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Duke Energy from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $90.00 to $108.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 23rd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Duke Energy has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $101.17.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DUK traded down $1.27 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $92.86. 2,655,455 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,024,587. Duke Energy has a fifty-two week low of $83.06 and a fifty-two week high of $100.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. The firm has a market cap of $71.64 billion, a PE ratio of 26.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $94.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of $93.21.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The utilities provider reported $1.51 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.53 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $7.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.24 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 9.78% and a return on equity of 8.93%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.11 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Duke Energy will post 5.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Duke Energy

In related news, EVP Louis E. Renjel sold 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.57, for a total value of $277,710.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,213 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,315,697.41. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.14% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Duke Energy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. CKW Financial Group purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the first quarter worth about $25,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Finally, O Dell Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.