Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Price Target Raised to $128.00 at Morgan Stanley

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) had its price objective lifted by Morgan Stanley from $123.00 to $128.00 in a report released on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the utilities provider’s stock.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on DUK. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock 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 stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $123.87.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DUK opened at $119.01 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $92.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. Duke Energy has a 52 week low of $92.75 and a 52 week high of $121.47. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $114.16 and a 200-day simple moving average of $113.67.

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

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Duke Energy

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Mattson Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Finally, WealthTrak Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.