Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $122.93.

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Scotiabank increased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Guggenheim increased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of DUK. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 175,155 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $18,871,000 after purchasing an additional 1,173 shares during the period. Northstar Financial Companies Inc. bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $718,000. Centaurus Financial Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 5,409 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $583,000 after purchasing an additional 266 shares during the period. Anchor Pointe Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $252,000. Finally, SpringVest Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $325,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE DUK opened at $120.88 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $93.86 billion, a PE ratio of 21.17, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. Duke Energy has a 1-year low of $92.75 and a 1-year high of $121.47. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $113.15 and a 200 day moving average price of $113.52.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. Research analysts predict that Duke Energy will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th were issued a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.46%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 73.20%.

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.