Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Stock Price Expected to Rise, JPMorgan Chase & Co. Analyst Says

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) had its price target raised by equities researchers at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $127.00 to $131.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “neutral” rating on the utilities provider’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price target would suggest a potential upside of 5.46% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other brokerages have also recently weighed in on DUK. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Duke Energy from $125.00 to $124.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $127.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Barclays boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $131.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $120.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $130.07.

Duke Energy Price Performance

DUK opened at $124.2140 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $96.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.20, a PEG ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.36. Duke Energy has a 1 year low of $105.20 and a 1 year high of $127.85. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $119.78 and a 200 day moving average price of $118.35.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.29 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $7.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.07 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.51% and a return on equity of 9.85%. Duke Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.18 EPS. Duke Energy has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.170-6.420 EPS. Analysts forecast that Duke Energy will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Duke Energy

In other news, SVP Bonnie B. Titone sold 2,000 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.38, for a total value of $248,760.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 19,608 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,438,843.04. The trade was a 9.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Thomas Preston Jr. Gillespie sold 6,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.26, for a total value of $832,542.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 46,422 shares in the company, valued at $5,768,397.72. This represents a 12.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Duke Energy

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cim Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Duke Energy by 99.7% during the second quarter. Cim Investment Management Inc. now owns 6,508 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $734,000 after acquiring an additional 3,249 shares during the period. Clarion Wealth Managment Partners LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy during the second quarter valued at about $720,000. North Dallas Bank & Trust Co. bought a new position in Duke Energy during the second quarter valued at about $686,000. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC increased its stake in Duke Energy by 1.6% during the second quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC now owns 6,238 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $729,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the period. Finally, B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Duke Energy during the second quarter valued at about $1,329,000. 65.31% of the stock is currently 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.