Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Receives $122.08 Average PT from Analysts

Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) have earned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the thirteen brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $121.62.

Several equities analysts recently commented on DUK shares. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Forum Financial Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth $222,000. Griffith & Werner Inc. purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $2,406,000. Warm Springs Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $281,000. Finally, North Star Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 30.7% in the fourth quarter. North Star Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,620 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $282,000 after acquiring an additional 616 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Duke Energy Trading Up 2.1 %

Shares of NYSE DUK traded up $2.42 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $115.58. 4,423,961 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,366,634. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $109.96 and a 200-day moving average price of $112.97. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. The company has a market capitalization of $89.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.50. Duke Energy has a 52-week low of $90.09 and a 52-week high of $121.25.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. Equities research analysts expect that Duke Energy will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.62%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 73.20%.

Duke Energy Company Profile

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.