Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Price Target Raised to $132.00 at Jefferies Financial Group

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) had its price objective upped by Jefferies Financial Group from $129.00 to $132.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the utilities provider’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also commented on DUK. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Scotiabank upped their price objective 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, Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $121.62.

Duke Energy Stock Up 2.1 %

Shares of NYSE:DUK opened at $115.58 on Friday. Duke Energy has a 12-month low of $90.09 and a 12-month high of $121.25. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $110.10 and its 200-day moving average price is $113.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $89.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.50.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Duke Energy will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm 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. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 73.20%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of DUK. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the third quarter valued at $29,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.