UBS Group Has Lowered Expectations for Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Stock Price

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) had its price target cut by equities researchers at UBS Group from $137.00 to $135.00 in a report issued on Monday,MarketScreener reports. UBS Group’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 8.36% from the stock’s previous close.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $141.00 target price on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Friday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $142.00 to $141.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $141.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Duke Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 28th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Monday, May 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $140.20.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of DUK stock traded down $0.32 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $124.58. 442,363 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,072,099. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $97.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.06 and a beta of 0.41. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $129.53 and a 200 day simple moving average of $124.15. Duke Energy has a 52-week low of $111.22 and a 52-week high of $134.49.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $9.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.44 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.73% and a net margin of 15.49%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.76 EPS. Duke Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.550-6.80 EPS. Research analysts predict that Duke Energy will post 6.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 6,800 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.67, for a total value of $868,156.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 22,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,809,633.69. The trade was a 23.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Regis T. Repko sold 962 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.86, for a total value of $123,001.32. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 3,896 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $498,142.56. This represents a 19.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 27,762 shares of company stock valued at $3,478,557 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 78,258,757 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $9,172,709,000 after acquiring an additional 1,957,592 shares during the last quarter. Amundi grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 56.9% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 2,662,460 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $312,067,000 after purchasing an additional 965,808 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 13.1% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 8,236,893 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $965,446,000 after purchasing an additional 954,907 shares during the period. Milford Funds Ltd. bought a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $97,905,000. Finally, Cohen & Steers Inc. raised its position in Duke Energy by 83.3% during the 4th quarter. Cohen & Steers Inc. now owns 1,711,445 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $200,598,000 after purchasing an additional 777,878 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Key Duke Energy News

Here are the key news stories impacting Duke Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy said it applied for U.S. Department of Energy loans that could unlock potentially billions of dollars in customer savings while funding grid upgrades and added capacity, which may support long-term growth and regulated returns. Duke Energy applies for Department of Energy loans that represent potentially billions of dollars in customer savings
• Positive Sentiment: Evercore raised its price target on Duke Energy to $140, reinforcing a constructive view on the utility’s outlook and suggesting further upside from current levels. Evercore raises Duke Energy price target
• Neutral Sentiment: Jefferies lowered its price target to $138 from $143, but the new target still implies upside and does not materially change the broader bullish case. Jefferies lowers Duke Energy price target
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of DUK, a disclosure that can weigh on sentiment even though insider sales are not always a fundamental warning sign. SEC Form 4 filing for CEO share sale

Duke Energy Company Profile

Duke Energy Corporation is a U.S.-based electric power holding company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. The company’s core business is the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Duke Energy operates a mix of regulated electric utilities and non-regulated energy businesses, providing essential energy infrastructure and services across multiple states.

Its operating activities include owning and operating generation assets across a portfolio that encompasses nuclear, natural gas, coal, hydroelectric and an expanding array of renewable resources, as well as battery storage and grid modernization projects.