Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Given New $132.00 Price Target at Morgan Stanley

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) had its price objective reduced by equities researchers at Morgan Stanley from $141.00 to $132.00 in a research report issued on Thursday,MarketScreener reports. Morgan Stanley’s target price suggests a potential upside of 6.42% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Duke Energy from $135.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $130.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $141.00 target price on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Friday, January 30th. Capitol Sec Mgt downgraded shares of Duke Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $139.00 to $136.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $139.07.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Duke Energy stock opened at $124.04 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.66. The company has a market capitalization of $96.70 billion, a PE ratio of 18.99 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $128.42 and a 200-day moving average price of $124.01. Duke Energy has a fifty-two week low of $113.39 and a fifty-two week high of $134.49.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $9.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.44 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.73% and a net margin of 15.49%.Duke Energy’s revenue was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.76 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Duke Energy will post 6.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Regis T. Repko sold 962 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.86, for a total value of $123,001.32. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 3,896 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $498,142.56. The trade was a 19.80% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.15, for a total transaction of $438,025.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 21,415 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,680,087.25. This trade represents a 14.05% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 24,462 shares of company stock worth $3,048,426. 0.12% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Duke Energy

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Basso Capital Management L.P. purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Dorato Capital Management acquired a new stake in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 1,111.1% during the fourth quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 218 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Triumph Capital Management increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 68.6% during the fourth quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 231 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Company Profile

Duke Energy Corporation is a U.S.-based electric power holding company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. The company’s core business is the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Duke Energy operates a mix of regulated electric utilities and non-regulated energy businesses, providing essential energy infrastructure and services across multiple states.

Its operating activities include owning and operating generation assets across a portfolio that encompasses nuclear, natural gas, coal, hydroelectric and an expanding array of renewable resources, as well as battery storage and grid modernization projects.