Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Stock Price Expected to Rise, UBS Group Analyst Says

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) had its price target raised by UBS Group from $123.00 to $127.00 in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. UBS Group currently has a neutral rating on the utilities provider’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Scotiabank increased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $123.87.

Duke Energy Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE DUK opened at $119.01 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $92.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.84, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.44. Duke Energy has a one year low of $92.75 and a one year high of $121.47. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $114.16 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $113.65.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. As a group, analysts expect that Duke Energy will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.51%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 73.20%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Duke Energy

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. Groupama Asset Managment bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $2,537,000. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $163,819,000. Zimmer Partners LP purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $166,263,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 155.1% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,873,321 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $201,832,000 after purchasing an additional 1,138,979 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Wealth Planning LLC grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 116.5% in the 4th quarter. Capital Wealth Planning LLC now owns 2,065,344 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $222,520,000 after buying an additional 1,111,581 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.