Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Stock Price Expected to Rise, BMO Capital Markets Analyst Says

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) had its price target lifted by investment analysts at BMO Capital Markets from $119.00 to $124.00 in a note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “outperform” rating on the utilities provider’s stock. BMO Capital Markets’ price objective indicates a potential upside of 10.58% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on the company. KeyCorp lowered Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Mizuho raised Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $116.00 to $121.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.08.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of DUK stock opened at $112.14 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $86.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.61, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.50. Duke Energy has a fifty-two week low of $90.09 and a fifty-two week high of $121.25. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $110.03 and its 200-day moving average price is $112.57. 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 (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.73 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $8.16 billion during 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 quarterly revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.94 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy will post 5.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Duke Energy

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Czech National Bank boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 6.9% in the third quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 157,244 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $18,130,000 after purchasing an additional 10,177 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 35.9% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 9,857 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,137,000 after buying an additional 2,605 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 7,131 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $822,000 after buying an additional 152 shares during the last quarter. Everpar Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter worth $217,000. Finally, Salvus Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy in the third quarter valued at about $233,000. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

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.