Guggenheim Issues Positive Forecast for Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Stock Price

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) had its price objective upped by Guggenheim from $132.00 to $135.00 in a research note published on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the utilities provider's stock.

Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on DUK. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price 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. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their price objective 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. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $122.57.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:DUK traded up $1.94 on Wednesday, hitting $116.78. 3,479,247 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,428,490. 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 stock's 50 day moving average price is $111.81 and its 200 day moving average price is $113.25. Duke Energy has a 1-year low of $92.75 and a 1-year high of $121.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $90.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48.

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

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.58%. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 73.20%.

Institutional Trading of Duke Energy

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Groupama Asset Managment acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the third quarter worth about $2,537,000. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $163,819,000. Zimmer Partners LP acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the third quarter worth about $166,263,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its position in Duke Energy by 155.1% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,873,321 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $201,832,000 after acquiring an additional 1,138,979 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Wealth Planning LLC boosted its position in Duke Energy by 116.5% during the fourth quarter. Capital Wealth Planning LLC now owns 2,065,344 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $222,520,000 after acquiring an additional 1,111,581 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company's stock.

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.