Analysts Set Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Target Price at $116.36

Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) has received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the thirteen brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $116.36.

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on DUK shares. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, August 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, August 12th. Scotiabank raised their price target on Duke Energy from $104.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 20th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Duke Energy in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. They set a "buy" rating and a $138.00 price target for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Duke Energy from $111.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, August 12th.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of DUK traded down $1.33 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $115.98. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,924,626 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,956,795. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $112.79 and a 200 day simple moving average of $104.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $89.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.14, a P/E/G ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 0.47. Duke Energy has a 1-year low of $83.06 and a 1-year high of $118.31. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.56.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $7.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.84 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.71% and a net margin of 14.29%. Duke Energy's revenue was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.91 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Duke Energy will post 5.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 16th were given a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 16th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.60%. This is an increase from Duke Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.03. Duke Energy's payout ratio is currently 105.03%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Louis E. Renjel sold 540 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.64, for a total value of $61,365.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 19,884 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,259,617.76. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Duke Energy

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its position in Duke Energy by 69.6% during the second quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 290 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the first quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Sachetta LLC lifted its position in Duke Energy by 41.9% during the second quarter. Sachetta LLC now owns 325 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.