Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Upgraded at Mizuho

Mizuho upgraded shares of Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) from a neutral rating to an outperform rating in a research report report published on Tuesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. They currently have $121.00 target price on the utilities provider’s stock, up from their previous target price of $116.00.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on DUK. Barclays boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. Bank of America upped their price target on Duke Energy from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Duke Energy in a report on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $138.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their target price on Duke Energy from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $121.85.

Duke Energy Price Performance

DUK stock opened at $120.58 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.56. Duke Energy has a fifty-two week low of $85.79 and a fifty-two week high of $120.81. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $114.84 and a 200 day moving average price of $106.50. The stock has a market cap of $93.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.30, a PEG ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.46.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.18 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $7.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.84 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.91 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.47%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is currently 105.03%.

Insider Activity at Duke Energy

In related news, EVP Louis E. Renjel sold 540 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.64, for a total transaction of $61,365.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 19,884 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,259,617.76. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Duke Energy

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $109,000. Creekmur Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Duke Energy by 17.4% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 10,637 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,032,000 after buying an additional 1,580 shares during the period. CWM LLC lifted its position in Duke Energy by 8.1% during the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 40,411 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,908,000 after buying an additional 3,043 shares during the period. Finally, Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 1st quarter worth about $41,000. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.