Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Given New $134.00 Price Target at BMO Capital Markets

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) had its price target dropped by investment analysts at BMO Capital Markets from $138.00 to $134.00 in a research report issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “outperform” rating on the utilities provider’s stock. BMO Capital Markets’ price objective indicates a potential upside of 7.17% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on DUK. Mizuho lowered their price objective on Duke Energy from $139.00 to $135.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $143.00 to $138.00 in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $136.00 in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $136.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $143.00 to $134.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $138.47.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.0%

NYSE:DUK opened at $125.04 on Monday. Duke Energy has a 12-month low of $113.89 and a 12-month high of $134.49. The firm has a market cap of $97.48 billion, a PE ratio of 19.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $124.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $125.48.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $9.18 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.44 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.73% and a net margin of 15.49%.Duke Energy’s revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.76 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Duke Energy will post 6.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Duke Energy

In related news, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.15, for a total transaction of $438,025.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 21,415 shares in the company, valued at $2,680,087.25. This trade represents a 14.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.37, for a total transaction of $2,487,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 96,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,952,205.74. This trade represents a 17.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Duke Energy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Basso Capital Management L.P. acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Dorato Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 1,111.1% during the fourth quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 218 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 68.6% in the 4th quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 231 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the period. Finally, Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

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.