Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) have received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the fifteen ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $123.87.

A number of research firms have commented on DUK. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Guggenheim lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Duke Energy

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of DUK. Baron Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,730 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $315,000 after buying an additional 92 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 31,353 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,378,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the period. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,456 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $372,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Intergy Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Duke Energy by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Intergy Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,113 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $228,000 after buying an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 7,233 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $779,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company's stock.

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Duke Energy Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE DUK traded down $1.15 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $119.01. 2,698,670 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,985,238. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $113.89 and a 200 day moving average of $113.65. Duke Energy has a 1 year low of $92.75 and a 1 year high of $121.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. The stock has a market cap of $92.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.82, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. On average, research analysts expect that Duke Energy will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy's payout ratio is currently 73.20%.

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.