Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Receives $121.69 Average Price Target from Brokerages

Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) have received an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the thirteen research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $121.69.

Several research firms have issued reports on DUK. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Duke Energy from $111.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, August 12th. Morgan Stanley cut 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 report on Friday, November 22nd. Scotiabank boosted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $104.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. KeyCorp cut shares of Duke Energy from an "overweight" rating to a "sector weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Duke Energy stock traded down $1.91 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $112.10. 2,808,968 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,039,885. The stock has a market cap of $86.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.61, a P/E/G ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 0.47. The firm's 50 day moving average is $114.93 and its 200 day moving average is $110.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.70. 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, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.73 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.06 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 9.34%. Duke Energy's revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.94 EPS. Analysts predict that Duke Energy will post 5.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.73%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. Duke Energy's payout ratio is currently 76.84%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Goodman Advisory Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the second quarter valued at approximately $2,888,000. Hilltop Holdings Inc. raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 59.2% in the 3rd quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. now owns 23,388 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,697,000 after acquiring an additional 8,699 shares during the last quarter. Commerce Bank lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 5.9% during the 3rd quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 269,217 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $31,041,000 after purchasing an additional 15,069 shares during the period. PrairieView Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the second quarter worth $501,000. Finally, Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 1,258.1% in the third quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd now owns 49,341 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $5,689,000 after purchasing an additional 45,708 shares during the period. 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.