Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Downgraded to “Sector Weight” at KeyCorp

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) was downgraded by equities research analysts at KeyCorp from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research report issued on Tuesday, Marketbeat reports.

Several other research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $138.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $110.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Scotiabank raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $104.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 20th. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $120.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $121.85.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.6 %

NYSE DUK opened at $120.57 on Tuesday. 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 firm’s fifty day moving average price is $115.40 and its 200 day moving average price is $107.25. The company has a market capitalization of $93.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.46. Duke Energy has a 12 month low of $86.61 and a 12 month high of $121.25.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.16. The firm 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 last year, the firm posted $0.91 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Duke Energy will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Duke Energy

In related news, EVP Louis E. Renjel sold 540 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The shares were 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 owns 19,884 shares in the company, valued at $2,259,617.76. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Duke Energy

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the first quarter worth about $25,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its position in Duke Energy by 69.6% during the second quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 290 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the first quarter worth about $30,000. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the second quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Cedar Wealth Management LLC raised 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 acquiring an additional 169 shares during 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.