Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) have earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and ten have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $138.4375.

A number of analysts have weighed in on DUK shares. Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $137.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $136.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $140.00 to $132.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, UBS Group cut their target price on Duke Energy from $137.00 to $135.00 in a research note on Monday, May 11th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.15, for a total value of $438,025.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 21,415 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,680,087.25. This trade represents a 14.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Duke Energy

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 11.6% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,754 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $728,000 after buying an additional 700 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in Duke Energy by 19.6% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 23,162 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,825,000 after acquiring an additional 3,797 shares during the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 1.0% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 31,238 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,686,000 after acquiring an additional 315 shares during the period. AXA S.A. boosted its position in Duke Energy by 523.4% in the second quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 42,233 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,983,000 after purchasing an additional 35,458 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nebula Research & Development LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at about $954,000. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.3%

Duke Energy stock opened at $123.73 on Friday. Duke Energy has a 12 month low of $113.89 and a 12 month high of $134.49. The company has a market capitalization of $96.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.38. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $125.57 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $126.39. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.30 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $7.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.66 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.78% and a net margin of 15.78%.The company’s revenue was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.25 earnings per share. Duke Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.550-6.800 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Duke Energy will post 6.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.085 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This is an increase from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. This represents a $4.34 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.5%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 63.96%.

Duke Energy News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Duke Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong Q2 results: Duke reported adjusted earnings of $1.43 per share, ahead of the $1.30 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 1.1% year over year to $7.59 billion. The company reaffirmed its 2026 EPS guidance of $6.55-$6.80 and its target for 5%-7% annual EPS growth through 2030. Duke Energy Q2 earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Large-load growth opportunity: Duke said contracted data-center and industrial demand could create $5 billion-$10 billion of additional capital investment, with new loads expected to begin taking power in late 2027. Its data-center pipeline has increased by 2.7 gigawatts since late 2025, potentially supporting regulated rate-base growth and long-term earnings. Duke Energy data-center pipeline
• Positive Sentiment: Lower-cost North Carolina rate plan: Duke Energy Progress reached a stakeholder agreement that cuts the proposed rate increase by more than half while preserving infrastructure investment. Duke will also provide an additional $10 million for customers in need, reducing near-term regulatory friction. Duke Energy Progress rate agreement
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst targets remain above the market price: Barclays and BMO lowered their price targets to $132 but retained bullish ratings of “overweight” and “outperform,” respectively, implying roughly 7% upside based on the cited price.
• Neutral Sentiment: Hotter-than-normal summer weather in Florida is boosting electricity demand and could support near-term utility sales, although higher usage also increases customer bills and system strain. Duke Energy Florida summer demand
• Negative Sentiment: Equity issuance and execution risk: Duke plans to issue up to $10 billion in equity to fund more than $1 billion per month of investment in generation and infrastructure. The financing could dilute existing shareholders and raises questions about capital requirements and returns.
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and legal pushback: North Carolina advocates argue Duke has overstated demand projections, while the governor supports a challenge to a proposed rate hike. Separate legal opposition targets Duke and Amazon’s plans to use diesel generation for a North Carolina data center, creating uncertainty around project timing and costs.
• Negative Sentiment: Recent outages affecting thousands of customers in North Carolina are operational blemishes, though their limited duration makes a material financial impact unlikely.

Duke Energy Company Profile

Duke Energy Corporation is a U.S.-based electric power holding company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. The company’s core business is the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Duke Energy operates a mix of regulated electric utilities and non-regulated energy businesses, providing essential energy infrastructure and services across multiple states.

Its operating activities include owning and operating generation assets across a portfolio that encompasses nuclear, natural gas, coal, hydroelectric and an expanding array of renewable resources, as well as battery storage and grid modernization projects.