JPMorgan Chase & Co. Boosts Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Price Target to $121.00

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) had its price objective boosted by stock analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $114.00 to $121.00 in a research report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “neutral” rating on the utilities provider’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price objective points to a potential upside of 3.69% from the stock’s previous close.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the company. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target 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. Guggenheim boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $122.93.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DUK opened at $116.69 on Tuesday. Duke Energy has a 1-year low of $92.75 and a 1-year high of $121.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $90.61 billion, a PE ratio of 20.44, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. The business’s 50 day moving average is $112.40 and its 200-day moving average is $113.36. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. Sell-side analysts predict that Duke Energy will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Duke Energy

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 72,885,939 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $7,852,731,000 after acquiring an additional 779,054 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 18,097,796 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,949,857,000 after acquiring an additional 124,863 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 17,873,788 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,930,833,000 after acquiring an additional 385,612 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,562,545 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $922,529,000 after acquiring an additional 135,665 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 8,503,503 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $916,168,000 after acquiring an additional 357,967 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

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.