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

Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $122.23.

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. KeyCorp downgraded shares of Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Scotiabank increased 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. Mizuho upgraded Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $116.00 to $121.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of DUK opened at $107.74 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $83.23 billion, a PE ratio of 19.81, a P/E/G ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.47. Duke Energy has a 52-week low of $90.09 and a 52-week high of $121.25. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $112.17 and a 200-day simple moving average of $111.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.73 by ($0.11). Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 9.34%. The company had revenue of $8.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.06 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.94 earnings per share. Duke Energy’s revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Duke Energy will post 5.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th were paid a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 15th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 76.84%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Duke Energy

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Sachetta LLC boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 41.9% in the second quarter. Sachetta LLC now owns 325 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the third quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 334 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is 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.