KeyCorp Increases Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Price Target to $125.00

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) had its price target upped by KeyCorp from $121.00 to $125.00 in a research note published on Monday, Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the utilities provider’s stock.

DUK has been the subject of several other reports. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $99.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Duke Energy in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. They set a buy rating and a $138.00 price objective on the stock. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $102.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Monday, August 12th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $118.21.

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.8 %

Duke Energy stock opened at $115.76 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $114.16 and a 200 day simple moving average of $105.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $89.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.09, a PEG ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.81. Duke Energy has a 52 week low of $83.06 and a 52 week high of $118.31.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.18 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.84 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.91 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Duke Energy will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 16th were issued a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 16th. This is an increase from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.03. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.61%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is presently 105.03%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Louis E. Renjel sold 540 shares of Duke Energy 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 19,884 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,259,617.76. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Duke Energy

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