Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Given New $125.00 Price Target at KeyCorp

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) had its price objective increased by equities research analysts at KeyCorp from $121.00 to $125.00 in a note issued to investors on Monday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “overweight” rating on the utilities provider’s stock. KeyCorp’s price target suggests a potential upside of 7.55% from the company’s current price.

Several other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on DUK. Barclays lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $99.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective 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. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 target price on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Duke Energy in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $138.00 price objective for the company. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $118.21.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Duke Energy stock opened at $116.22 on Monday. Duke Energy has a fifty-two week low of $83.06 and a fifty-two week high of $118.31. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $113.83 and its 200-day simple moving average is $105.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The company has a market cap of $89.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 0.47.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its 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. The company had revenue of $7.17 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.84 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.29% and a return on equity of 9.71%. The company’s revenue was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.91 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Duke Energy will post 5.97 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Duke Energy news, EVP Louis E. Renjel sold 540 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.64, for a total transaction of $61,365.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 19,884 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,259,617.76. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of DUK. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy during the first quarter worth $25,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its position in Duke Energy by 69.6% in the 2nd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 290 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 1st quarter worth about $30,000. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the second quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Cedar Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Duke Energy by 101.2% during the first quarter. Cedar Wealth Management LLC now owns 336 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.