Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Given New $125.00 Price Target at Morgan Stanley

by · The Cerbat Gem

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK – Get Free Report) had its target price reduced by investment analysts at Morgan Stanley from $126.00 to $125.00 in a report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “equal weight” rating on the utilities provider’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s price target suggests a potential upside of 7.32% from the stock’s current price.

DUK has been the topic of several other reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $127.00 to $138.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. UBS Group raised their target price on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Guggenheim increased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $125.81.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on DUK

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.7%

DUK opened at $116.47 on Thursday. Duke Energy has a twelve month low of $99.21 and a twelve month high of $125.27. The firm has a market cap of $90.53 billion, a PE ratio of 20.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.67. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $119.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $114.60.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $8.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.70 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.44 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Duke Energy

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. Diversify Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,064 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $536,000 after buying an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 21.5% during the fourth quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,742 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $396,000 after purchasing an additional 663 shares in the last quarter. Pure Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Pure Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,473 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $266,000 after buying an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC raised its stake in Duke Energy by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 9,195 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $991,000 after purchasing an additional 405 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Simon Quick Advisors LLC lifted its position in Duke Energy by 19.6% during the fourth quarter. Simon Quick Advisors LLC now owns 3,645 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $393,000 after purchasing an additional 597 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Duke Energy

(Get Free Report)

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.

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