UBS Group Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Stock

Key Points

• UBS Group raised its price target on Duke Energy to $140 (from $136), implying roughly a 6.84% upside from the stock’s current price.
• Analyst views are mixed—nine Buys, seven Holds and one Sell—with an overall consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $137.80, while firms range from Goldman raising its target to $142 to Barclays cutting to $127.
• Duke recently reported a slight earnings beat (Q EPS $1.50 vs. $1.49 consensus) and trades around $131, but insiders have been selling (CEO sold 6,800 shares) and insiders own just 0.14% while institutions hold about 65.3%.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) had its target price hoisted by UBS Group from $136.00 to $140.00 in a report released on Monday,MarketScreener reports. UBS Group's target price points to a potential upside of 6.84% from the stock's current price.

Several other research firms have also weighed in on DUK. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Duke Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on Duke Energy from $143.00 to $140.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Barclays dropped their price target on Duke Energy from $135.00 to $127.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Duke Energy from $141.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $137.80.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE DUK traded down $1.46 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $131.04. 516,992 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,317,041. Duke Energy has a 12 month low of $111.22 and a 12 month high of $132.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a current ratio of 0.55. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $122.58 and its 200-day simple moving average is $122.36. The firm has a market cap of $101.91 billion, a PE ratio of 20.73, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.50.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The utilities provider reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.01. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.41% and a return on equity of 9.66%. The business had revenue of $7.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.57 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.66 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Duke Energy will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Duke Energy

In other Duke Energy news, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 6,800 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.67, for a total transaction of $868,156.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 22,007 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,809,633.69. This represents a 23.61% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Regis T. Repko sold 962 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.86, for a total value of $123,001.32. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 3,896 shares of the company's stock, valued at $498,142.56. This trade represents a 19.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Duke Energy

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 11.6% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,754 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $728,000 after purchasing an additional 700 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 19.6% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 23,162 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,825,000 after buying an additional 3,797 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 1.0% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 31,238 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,686,000 after buying an additional 315 shares during the period. AE Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 7.6% in the second quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 32,296 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,811,000 after acquiring an additional 2,279 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aviva PLC grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 4.3% during the 2nd quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 13,213 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,559,000 after acquiring an additional 539 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Duke Energy

Duke Energy Corporation is a U.S.-based electric power holding company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. The company's core business is the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Duke Energy operates a mix of regulated electric utilities and non-regulated energy businesses, providing essential energy infrastructure and services across multiple states.

Its operating activities include owning and operating generation assets across a portfolio that encompasses nuclear, natural gas, coal, hydroelectric and an expanding array of renewable resources, as well as battery storage and grid modernization projects.

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