Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Price Target Raised to $127.00

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) had its target price increased by UBS Group from $123.00 to $127.00 in a research note published on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a neutral rating on the utilities provider’s stock.

DUK has been the subject of several other research reports. Jefferies Financial Group increased 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. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Scotiabank upped their price target on 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.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $123.87.

Duke Energy Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE:DUK opened at $119.01 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $92.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.84, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. The business’s 50 day moving average is $114.16 and its 200 day moving average is $113.65. Duke Energy has a 12-month low of $92.75 and a 12-month high of $121.47. 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 posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Duke Energy will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.51%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 73.20%.

Institutional Trading of Duke Energy

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of DUK. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Mattson Financial Services LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, WealthTrak Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.