Morgan Stanley Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Stock

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) had its price target upped by equities research analysts at Morgan Stanley from $123.00 to $128.00 in a research report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “equal weight” rating on the utilities provider’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s price target would suggest a potential upside of 7.04% from the stock’s current price.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Guggenheim increased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Scotiabank raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $123.64.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:DUK traded up $0.27 during trading on Thursday, reaching $119.58. The stock had a trading volume of 850,718 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,971,023. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $113.66 and a 200-day moving average price of $113.61. 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 stock has a market cap of $92.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.94, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. Duke Energy has a fifty-two week low of $92.75 and a fifty-two week high of $121.47.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Duke Energy will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Duke Energy

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mattson Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, WealthTrak Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.