Royal Bank Of Canada Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Stock Price

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) had its price target decreased by stock analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada from $143.00 to $140.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,MarketScreener reports. The firm currently has a “sector perform” rating on the utilities provider’s stock. Royal Bank Of Canada’s price target would suggest a potential upside of 19.74% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other brokerages also recently weighed in on DUK. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on Duke Energy from $136.00 to $130.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $137.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Barclays reduced their target price on Duke Energy from $135.00 to $127.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Morgan Stanley restated an “underperform” rating and issued a $130.00 price target on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $135.00 to $126.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $134.94.

Duke Energy Stock Down 0.7%

DUK stock traded down $0.79 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $116.92. 265,866 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,464,835. The stock has a market capitalization of $90.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a current ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $118.58 and a 200-day moving average price of $121.38. Duke Energy has a 12-month low of $108.74 and a 12-month high of $130.03.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.06. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.76% and a return on equity of 9.98%. The business had revenue of $8.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.51 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.62 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Duke Energy will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Duke Energy

In other news, EVP Robert Alexander Glenn sold 8,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.80, for a total value of $1,015,160.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 11,367 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,407,234.60. This trade represents a 41.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Duke Energy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 11.6% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,754 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $728,000 after acquiring an additional 700 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 19.6% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 23,162 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,825,000 after purchasing an additional 3,797 shares in the last quarter. Accurate Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Duke Energy by 2.4% in the second quarter. Accurate Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,463 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $527,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares during the period. Ballentine Partners LLC increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 4.4% in the 2nd quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 10,282 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,213,000 after buying an additional 429 shares during the period. Finally, Regatta Capital Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 11.2% in the 2nd quarter. Regatta Capital Group LLC now owns 1,855 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $219,000 after buying an additional 187 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 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.