Barclays Cuts Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Price Target to $132.00

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) had its target price trimmed by Barclays from $140.00 to $132.00 in a report published on Wednesday morning, Marketbeat reports. The firm currently has an overweight rating on the utilities provider’s stock.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Friday, July 31st. Mizuho lowered their target price on Duke Energy from $139.00 to $135.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, June 18th. KeyCorp raised Duke Energy from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $139.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Evercore raised their price target on Duke Energy from $139.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $138.00 price objective on Duke Energy in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.44.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Duke Energy stock opened at $124.95 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.44. The stock has a market cap of $97.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.38. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $125.61 and a two-hundred day moving average of $126.38. Duke Energy has a 1 year low of $113.89 and a 1 year high of $134.49.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.30 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $7.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.66 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.78% and a return on equity of 9.78%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.25 earnings per share. Duke Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.550-6.800 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Duke Energy will post 6.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be given a dividend of $1.085 per share. This is a boost from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $4.34 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.5%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 63.96%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.15, for a total value of $438,025.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 21,415 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,680,087.25. The trade was a 14.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Duke Energy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Trust Co. of Vermont bought a new position in Duke Energy in the second quarter worth about $1,813,000. Old West Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the second quarter valued at about $211,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at about $605,680,000. Merit Financial Group LLC grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 15.7% in the 2nd quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 70,388 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $8,910,000 after buying an additional 9,562 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Intergy Private Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 16.1% in the 2nd quarter. Intergy Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,858 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $362,000 after buying an additional 396 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Duke Energy

Here are the key news stories impacting Duke Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 earnings beat expectations: Duke reported adjusted earnings of $1.43 per share, above the $1.30 consensus estimate, while revenue increased year over year. Management maintained 2026 EPS guidance of $6.55-$6.80, supporting the investment case for the utility. Duke Energy beats Q2 earnings estimates with rate hike orders on horizon
• Positive Sentiment: Long-term customer agreement approved: Clearwater’s City Council approved a 30-year agreement with Duke Energy after a public-power feasibility study reportedly costing about $600,000. The deal provides long-duration customer retention and visibility into future utility revenues. Clearwater Locks In Duke Energy for 30 Years After $600K Public Power Study
• Positive Sentiment: Progress on North Carolina investment and rates: Duke Energy Progress reached an agreement with North Carolina regulators and stakeholders that reduces the proposed rate increase by more than half while preserving infrastructure investment. The compromise could improve regulatory relations and support reliability spending. Duke Energy Progress reaches agreement with North Carolina Public Staff
• Neutral Sentiment: Demand remains a growth opportunity: Duke is spending more than $1 billion per month to meet record electricity demand, including expected data-center and gas-generation growth. The strategy could expand the rate base, but its success depends on regulatory approval and accurate demand forecasts. Duke Energy to issue $10B in equity to capture gas generation growth opportunity
• Negative Sentiment: Equity issuance creates dilution risk: Duke plans to issue as much as $10 billion in equity to fund its expansion, potentially pressuring per-share earnings and valuation even if the investments generate long-term growth.
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and legal opposition persists: North Carolina’s governor backed a challenge to a Duke rate increase, while environmental advocates are contesting plans involving diesel generation for an Amazon data center. These disputes could delay projects or reduce allowed returns. North Carolina governor backs challenge to Duke rate hike
• Negative Sentiment: Outages and a cautious analyst view: Recent outages affecting customers in North Carolina may raise reliability and reputational concerns. Barclays also issued a pessimistic price forecast, adding pressure to sentiment. Barclays Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Duke Energy

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.