Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) have earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $122.23.

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Duke Energy in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $138.00 target price on the stock. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $120.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. KeyCorp lowered shares of Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Barclays raised their price objective on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Scotiabank increased 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.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Duke Energy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. PBMares Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Duke Energy by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. PBMares Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,886 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $563,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 2.1% in the second quarter. Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,425 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $444,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Castleview Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 4.9% during the third quarter. Castleview Partners LLC now owns 1,944 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $224,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. Kanawha Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Kanawha Capital Management LLC now owns 6,591 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $760,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the period. Finally, Baron Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Duke Energy by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,730 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $315,000 after buying an additional 92 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of DUK opened at $106.24 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $111.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $111.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.70. Duke Energy has a twelve month low of $90.09 and a twelve month high of $121.25. The firm has a market cap of $82.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.53, a PEG ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.49.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.73 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $8.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.06 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.34% and a net margin of 14.31%. Duke Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.94 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Duke Energy will post 5.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.