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

Shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the sixteen brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $134.0769.

Several equities research analysts have commented on DUK shares. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $122.00 to $131.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $127.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 25th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $131.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday. Scotiabank set a $137.00 price objective on shares of Duke Energy and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Wednesday.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Thomas Preston Jr. Gillespie sold 6,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.26, for a total value of $832,542.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 46,422 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,768,397.72. The trade was a 12.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Bonnie B. Titone sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.38, for a total transaction of $248,760.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 19,608 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,438,843.04. This trade represents a 9.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Duke Energy

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of DUK. Activest Wealth Management lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 98.1% during the first quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 212 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the period. Wayfinding Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Mascoma Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 53.7% during the 2nd quarter. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC now owns 249 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Trading Up 1.7%

DUK opened at $126.88 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. The firm has a market cap of $98.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.63, a P/E/G ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 0.44. Duke Energy has a 12 month low of $105.20 and a 12 month high of $127.85. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $123.06 and a 200 day moving average of $119.85.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.29 by ($0.04). Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.85% and a net margin of 15.51%.The firm had revenue of $7.51 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.07 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.18 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. Duke Energy has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.170-6.420 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Duke Energy will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th were issued a dividend of $1.065 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 15th. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. This is an increase from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 69.27%.

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.