Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Given New $139.00 Price Target at Mizuho

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) had its price objective lifted by Mizuho from $130.00 to $139.00 in a report released on Wednesday morning, Marketbeat reports. They currently have an outperform rating on the utilities provider’s stock.

Several other brokerages have also issued reports on DUK. Evercore restated an “in-line” rating and issued a $139.00 target price on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on Duke Energy from $143.00 to $140.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $125.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Duke Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 28th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $127.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $140.73.

Duke Energy Stock Down 1.6%

Duke Energy stock opened at $125.57 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $129.80 and a 200-day moving average price of $124.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45. Duke Energy has a twelve month low of $111.22 and a twelve month high of $134.49. The company has a market capitalization of $97.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.23 and a beta of 0.41.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $0.06. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.49% and a return on equity of 9.73%. The company had revenue of $9.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.44 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.76 EPS. Duke Energy’s revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. Duke Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.550-6.80 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Duke Energy will post 6.7 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Duke Energy

In other Duke Energy news, SVP Regis T. Repko sold 962 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.86, for a total value of $123,001.32. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 3,896 shares in the company, valued at $498,142.56. This represents a 19.80% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 6,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.67, for a total value of $868,156.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 22,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,809,633.69. The trade was a 23.61% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Duke Energy

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the third quarter worth about $1,046,000. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 11.3% in the 3rd quarter. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. now owns 274,630 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,985,000 after acquiring an additional 27,820 shares during the last quarter. Alley Investment Management Company LLC lifted its position in Duke Energy by 13.0% in the 3rd quarter. Alley Investment Management Company LLC now owns 88,018 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $10,892,000 after acquiring an additional 10,108 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 9.2% during the 3rd quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 150,426 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $18,615,000 after purchasing an additional 12,677 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AE Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 51.9% in the third quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 49,068 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $6,072,000 after purchasing an additional 16,772 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Duke Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat and revenue growth — Duke reported $1.93 EPS and revenue of $9.18B, topping estimates and showing double?digit revenue growth, supporting near?term earnings credibility. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade — Mizuho raised its price target to $139 and moved to an “outperform” rating, signaling analyst confidence and adding upside narrative. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Data?center load growth — Duke signed ~2.7 GW of new data?center contracts (Q1), expanding load and future rate?based investment opportunities. This is a key growth driver for utility load and capital deployment. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Regulatory approval for utility consolidation — North Carolina approval to merge two Duke utilities and expected customer savings (~$2.3B through 2040) supports operational efficiency and rate?base scale. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Guidance reaffirmed — Management kept FY2026 EPS guidance at $6.55–$6.80 and reiterated multi?year growth targets and ESA capacity expansion (7.6 GW), which supports longer?term expectations. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Customer refund in Florida approved — Regulators approved a $90.5M refund to Florida customers for storm cost over?collections; modest near?term cash outflow but removes a regulatory overhang. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Community/PR activity — Duke donated to youth education (Historic Camp Wildwood), a modest PR positive but immaterial to fundamentals. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Political and public pushback on rate hikes — Strong public and political resistance in Florida and the Carolinas raises regulatory risk around future rate relief and recovery of investments. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Rising costs and interest headwinds — Management flagged higher costs and interest expenses that weigh on margins and cash flow, tempering some optimism from the beat. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Activist protests and reputational risk — Climate activists publicly protested and tied political figures to Duke, increasing reputational scrutiny that could amplify regulatory/policy pressure over time. Article Title

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.