UBS Group Boosts Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Price Target to $127.00

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) had its price target hoisted by stock analysts at UBS Group from $126.00 to $127.00 in a note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a "neutral" rating on the utilities provider's stock. UBS Group's price target suggests a potential upside of 8.74% from the stock's current price.

A number of other analysts also recently weighed in on DUK. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $127.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. 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. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $130.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Guggenheim raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $125.81.

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of DUK stock traded down $0.44 on Monday, hitting $116.79. 2,605,229 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,455,204. The stock has a market capitalization of $90.78 billion, a PE ratio of 20.45, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39. Duke Energy has a twelve month low of $99.21 and a twelve month high of $125.27. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $118.76 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $114.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.67.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.17. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. The firm had revenue of $8.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.70 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.44 EPS. Duke Energy's revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Duke Energy will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Duke Energy

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Activest Wealth Management lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 98.1% during the 1st quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 212 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the period. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy in the first quarter valued at $27,000. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the first quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. 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.