Jefferies Financial Group Increases Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Price Target to $141.00

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) had its price objective boosted by investment analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from $125.00 to $141.00 in a report issued on Tuesday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage presently has a “hold” rating on the utilities provider’s stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s price target indicates a potential upside of 9.95% from the company’s current price.

DUK has been the subject of a number of other reports. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $136.00 price target on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “underperform” rating and issued a $130.00 price objective on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Duke Energy from $126.00 to $115.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Mizuho set a $130.00 price objective on Duke Energy in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $135.19.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of DUK opened at $128.25 on Tuesday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $118.93 and a 200-day moving average of $121.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a current ratio of 0.55 and a quick ratio of 0.33. The company has a market capitalization of $99.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.51. Duke Energy has a 1 year low of $110.51 and a 1 year high of $130.03.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The utilities provider reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.01. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.41% and a return on equity of 9.66%. The firm had revenue of $7.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.57 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.66 EPS. Duke Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.550-6.800 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Robert Alexander Glenn sold 8,200 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.80, for a total transaction of $1,015,160.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 11,367 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,407,234.60. This trade represents a 41.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 6,800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.67, for a total value of $868,156.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 22,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,809,633.69. This trade represents a 23.61% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.14% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Duke Energy

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of DUK. Dorato Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 1,111.1% in the fourth quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 218 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp bought a new position in Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Triumph Capital Management grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 68.6% in the 4th quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 231 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

About Duke Energy

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.