Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Research Coverage Started at Jefferies Financial Group

Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) in a report issued on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage set a “buy” rating and a $138.00 price target on the utilities provider’s stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s price target indicates a potential upside of 19.85% from the stock’s previous close.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $99.00 to $114.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 15th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $110.00 to $122.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Duke Energy from $111.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $99.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. Finally, Scotiabank increased their target price on Duke Energy from $104.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 20th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $116.36.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Duke Energy stock traded down $0.74 on Thursday, hitting $115.14. 3,939,238 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,942,076. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $88.86 billion, a PE ratio of 28.93, a PEG ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 0.47. Duke Energy has a 1 year low of $83.06 and a 1 year high of $118.31. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $112.11 and a 200-day simple moving average of $103.58.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.16. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.71% and a net margin of 14.29%. The business had revenue of $7.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.84 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.91 earnings per share. Duke Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Duke Energy will post 5.97 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Louis E. Renjel sold 540 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.64, for a total value of $61,365.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 19,884 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,259,617.76. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Duke Energy

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the first quarter valued at $25,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 69.6% during the 2nd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 290 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co bought a new position in Duke Energy in the 1st quarter worth about $30,000. Olistico Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Cedar Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 101.2% during the first quarter. Cedar Wealth Management LLC now owns 336 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

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.