Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Given New $123.00 Price Target at BMO Capital Markets

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) had its target price dropped by investment analysts at BMO Capital Markets from $128.00 to $123.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “outperform” rating on the utilities provider’s stock. BMO Capital Markets’ price objective would suggest a potential upside of 6.03% from the company’s current price.

A number of other research firms have also recently issued reports on DUK. Guggenheim boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Barclays boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $123.87.

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of Duke Energy stock traded down $0.30 during trading on Thursday, reaching $116.01. 1,051,124 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,329,780. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. Duke Energy has a twelve month low of $92.75 and a twelve month high of $125.27. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $116.78 and a 200-day moving average price of $113.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $90.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 anticipate that Duke Energy will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Duke Energy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Mattson Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its position in Duke Energy by 1,500.0% during the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.