Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Morgan Stanley Analyst Says

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) had its price target upped by equities research analysts at Morgan Stanley from $123.00 to $128.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “equal weight” rating on the utilities provider’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s price target would suggest a potential upside of 7.56% from the stock’s current price.

DUK has been the subject of a number of other research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $123.87.

Duke Energy Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE:DUK opened at $119.01 on Thursday. Duke Energy has a 12-month low of $92.75 and a 12-month high of $121.47. The stock has a market cap of $92.47 billion, a PE ratio of 20.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. The business has a 50 day moving average of $114.16 and a 200-day moving average of $113.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of DUK. Groupama Asset Managment acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the third quarter worth $2,537,000. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth $163,819,000. Zimmer Partners LP acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the third quarter worth $166,263,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 155.1% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,873,321 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $201,832,000 after buying an additional 1,138,979 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Wealth Planning LLC increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 116.5% during the fourth quarter. Capital Wealth Planning LLC now owns 2,065,344 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $222,520,000 after buying an additional 1,111,581 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Duke Energy

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.