Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Price Target Raised to $121.00 at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) had its price objective hoisted by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $114.00 to $121.00 in a research note released on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has a neutral rating on the utilities provider’s stock.

DUK has been the subject of a number of other reports. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Scotiabank boosted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target 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. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $122.93.

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.6 %

NYSE:DUK opened at $117.76 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $91.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.62, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $112.22 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $113.34. Duke Energy has a 12 month low of $92.75 and a 12 month high of $121.25.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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%. Analysts expect that Duke Energy will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.55%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 73.20%.

Institutional Trading of Duke Energy

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Bailard Inc. raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 10.9% in the fourth quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 31,921 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,439,000 after purchasing an additional 3,139 shares during the period. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC now owns 52,097 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,613,000 after purchasing an additional 2,705 shares during the period. First Business Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $384,000. Pines Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,032,000. Finally, CCM Investment Advisers LLC raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 24.3% in the fourth quarter. CCM Investment Advisers LLC now owns 83,610 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $9,008,000 after purchasing an additional 16,356 shares during the period. Institutional investors 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.