Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Stock Price Expected to Rise, BMO Capital Markets Analyst Says

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) had its target price raised by equities researchers at BMO Capital Markets from $123.00 to $128.00 in a research report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “outperform” rating on the utilities provider’s stock. BMO Capital Markets’ price objective indicates a potential upside of 8.06% from the stock’s previous close.

DUK has been the topic of a number of other reports. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Guggenheim upped their target price on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Scotiabank raised their price target on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Duke Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $122.86.

Duke Energy Stock Up 1.5 %

Shares of Duke Energy stock opened at $118.46 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $112.02 and a 200 day moving average price of $113.30. Duke Energy has a fifty-two week low of $92.75 and a fifty-two week high of $121.25. The firm has a market cap of $91.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.75, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Duke Energy will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Duke Energy

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of DUK. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Mattson Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Company Profile

Duke Energy Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an energy company in the United States. It operates through two segments: Electric Utilities and Infrastructure (EU&I), and Gas Utilities and Infrastructure (GU&I). The EU&I segment generates, transmits, distributes, and sells electricity in the Carolinas, Florida, and the Midwest.