Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the thirteen brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $121.62.

DUK has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Scotiabank upped their price objective on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 27.4% in the third quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 17,002 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,960,000 after purchasing an additional 3,656 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 19.9% in the 3rd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 28,436 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,279,000 after purchasing an additional 4,728 shares during the last quarter. Eastern Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $609,000. Private Advisor Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 76,405 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $8,810,000 after buying an additional 1,308 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Greenleaf Trust raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 18,925 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,182,000 after buying an additional 958 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Trading Up 1.2 %

Duke Energy stock opened at $117.29 on Friday. Duke Energy has a 52 week low of $90.09 and a 52 week high of $121.25. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $110.46 and a 200 day moving average price of $113.06. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. The company has a market capitalization of $90.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.50.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Duke Energy will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.56%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 73.20%.

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.