Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Price Target Raised to $140.00

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) had its price target increased by Evercore from $139.00 to $140.00 in a research note released on Monday, Marketbeat reports.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Barclays increased their target price on Duke Energy from $127.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and set a $141.00 target price on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on Duke Energy from $143.00 to $138.00 in a research note on Monday. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Duke Energy from $141.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Truist Financial began coverage on Duke Energy in a research report on Monday, April 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $142.00 price target for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $140.00.

Duke Energy Price Performance

NYSE DUK opened at $123.84 on Monday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $129.26 and a 200 day simple moving average of $124.10. Duke Energy has a 52-week low of $111.22 and a 52-week high of $134.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.66. The stock has a market cap of $96.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.97 and a beta of 0.41.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $0.06. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.73% and a net margin of 15.49%.The business had revenue of $9.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.44 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.76 EPS. Duke Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Duke Energy will post 6.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $1.065 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 65.24%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Duke Energy news, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.37, for a total transaction of $2,487,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 96,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,952,205.74. This represents a 17.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.15, for a total value of $438,025.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 21,415 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,680,087.25. This trade represents a 14.05% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 24,462 shares of company stock valued at $3,048,426 in the last quarter. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Duke Energy

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,046,000. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. boosted its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $33,985,000 after buying an additional 27,820 shares during the last quarter. Alley Investment Management Company LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 10,108 shares during the last quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. lifted its holdings 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 lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 51.9% during the 3rd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 49,068 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $6,072,000 after purchasing an additional 16,772 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

More Duke Energy News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy’s recent first-quarter results came in ahead of expectations, with earnings and revenue both topping estimates, while management reaffirmed its full-year guidance and highlighted a large five-year capital plan, additional data-center power agreements, and DOE loan applications that could support long-term growth and customer savings. How Investors Are Reacting To Duke Energy (DUK) Earnings Beat, Massive Capex Plan And DOE Loan Bid
• Positive Sentiment: Hot weather across the Carolinas could boost electricity demand as air conditioners run longer, which may help near-term utility usage and revenue. 90-degree heat on the way: Take these steps now to keep your home comfortable and manage energy use
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage of Duke Energy’s nuclear fleet was constructive, noting record capacity factor performance, which supports the company’s operating reliability and long-term clean-energy strategy. Duke Energy’s Nuclear Playbook: Three Horizons, One Strategy
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts made only modest target changes, including JPMorgan, UBS, and Jefferies lowering price targets slightly while still implying upside, so the revisions do not appear to signal a major deterioration in the outlook. JPMorgan adjusts price target on Duke Energy
• Negative Sentiment: Recent insider selling by CEO Harry Sideris and CEO Louis E. Renjel may be pressuring sentiment, even though these transactions do not necessarily change Duke Energy’s operating fundamentals. SEC Form 4 filing for CEO share sale

About Duke Energy

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.