Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Price Target Raised to $110.00

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) had its price target boosted by BMO Capital Markets from $108.00 to $110.00 in a research report released on Monday, Benzinga reports. BMO Capital Markets currently has an outperform rating on the utilities provider’s stock.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $103.00 to $100.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $99.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Monday, April 15th. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $89.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised shares of Duke Energy from an in-line rating to an outperform rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $90.00 to $108.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 23rd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $101.85.

Duke Energy Price Performance

DUK stock opened at $103.44 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $98.08 and a 200-day moving average of $95.45. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54. Duke Energy has a 12 month low of $83.06 and a 12 month high of $104.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $79.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.45.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.39 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a net margin of 10.78% and a return on equity of 9.25%. The business had revenue of $7.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.31 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.20 earnings per share. Duke Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Duke Energy will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be given a dividend of $1.025 per share. This represents a $4.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.96%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 16th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is currently 103.02%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Duke Energy

In other Duke Energy news, CEO Lynn J. Good sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.30, for a total transaction of $1,549,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 437,464 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $45,190,031.20. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, Director E Marie Mckee sold 1,695 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.31, for a total transaction of $173,415.45. Following the sale, the director now owns 4 shares in the company, valued at approximately $409.24. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Lynn J. Good sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.30, for a total transaction of $1,549,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 437,464 shares in the company, valued at approximately $45,190,031.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 26,695 shares of company stock valued at $2,750,815. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Duke Energy

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Atria Investments Inc boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 3.2% in the 1st quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 71,889 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $6,952,000 after purchasing an additional 2,196 shares in the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy during the 1st quarter valued at about $61,000. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI lifted its stake in Duke Energy by 4.7% during the 1st quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 7,040 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $681,000 after acquiring an additional 316 shares during the period. New Covenant Trust Company N.A. bought a new position in Duke Energy during the 1st quarter valued at about $165,000. Finally, KLCM Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Duke Energy by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. KLCM Advisors Inc. now owns 5,181 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $501,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

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.