Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) have received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the twelve brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $102.73.
DUK has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Barclays raised their price target on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 28th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Duke Energy from $97.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 20th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Duke Energy from $108.00 to $107.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Credit Suisse Group raised their price target on Duke Energy from $96.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 20th. Finally, Bank of America lowered Duke Energy from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $94.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Friday, February 12th.
In other Duke Energy news, SVP Dwight L. Jacobs sold 1,802 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.35, for a total transaction of $161,008.70. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 5,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $517,693.90. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.11% of the stock is owned by insiders.
A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in DUK. Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the 1st quarter worth about $79,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 13.8% during the fourth quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 1,112 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $102,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 22.5% during the fourth quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 45,700 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,184,000 after purchasing an additional 8,400 shares in the last quarter. NuWave Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 1,679.5% during the fourth quarter. NuWave Investment Management LLC now owns 1,566 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $143,000 after purchasing an additional 1,478 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wiley BROS. Aintree Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 6.8% during the fourth quarter. Wiley BROS. Aintree Capital LLC now owns 3,892 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $356,000 after purchasing an additional 249 shares in the last quarter. 63.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
DUK stock traded up $0.04 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $102.49. 4,812,831 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,376,600. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $99.64 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $93.64. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $78.84 billion, a PE ratio of 37.54, a P/E/G ratio of 4.88 and a beta of 0.23. Duke Energy has a 1-year low of $77.58 and a 1-year high of $108.00.
Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its earnings results on Sunday, May 9th. The utilities provider reported $1.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.24 by $0.02. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 8.28% and a net margin of 8.68%. The company had revenue of $6.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.27 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.14 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Duke Energy will post 5.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 14th will be issued a $0.965 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 13th. This represents a $3.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.77%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 76.28%.
Duke Energy Company Profile
Duke Energy Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an energy company in the United States. It operates through three segments: Electric Utilities and Infrastructure, Gas Utilities and Infrastructure, and Commercial Renewables. The Electric Utilities and Infrastructure segment generates, transmits, distributes, and sells electricity in the Carolinas, Florida, and the Midwest; and uses coal, hydroelectric, natural gas, oil, renewable sources, and nuclear fuel to generate electricity.
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