Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Price Target Raised to $127.00 at UBS Group

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) had its price target increased by UBS Group from $123.00 to $127.00 in a research note released on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a neutral rating on the utilities provider’s stock.

DUK has been the subject of several other reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Scotiabank upped their price target 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, Guggenheim upped their price target on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $123.87.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of DUK opened at $119.01 on Friday. 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 stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $114.16 and a 200 day simple moving average of $113.69. Duke Energy has a 52-week low of $92.75 and a 52-week high of $121.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $92.47 billion, a PE ratio of 20.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48.

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

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.51%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 73.20%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Duke Energy

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Mattson Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, WealthTrak Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

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.