Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Price Target Cut to $126.00 by Analysts at Jefferies Financial Group

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) had its target price decreased by analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from $138.00 to $126.00 in a research note issued on Monday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage presently has a “hold” rating on the utilities provider’s stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s target price indicates a potential upside of 10.03% from the company’s current price.

Several other equities analysts also recently issued reports on DUK. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Duke Energy to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. Barclays lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $131.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Duke Energy from $131.00 to $136.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upgraded Duke Energy to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $137.69.

Duke Energy Price Performance

DUK traded down $2.01 on Monday, reaching $114.51. The stock had a trading volume of 492,168 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,381,538. The company has a current ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54. The company has a market capitalization of $89.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.49. Duke Energy has a fifty-two week low of $105.20 and a fifty-two week high of $130.03. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $124.17 and a 200-day moving average of $121.27.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $8.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.51 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.98% and a net margin of 15.76%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.62 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Duke Energy will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Robert Alexander Glenn sold 8,200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.80, for a total transaction of $1,015,160.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 11,367 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,407,234.60. This represents a 41.91% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.14% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Allworth Financial LP increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 0.6% during the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 182,108 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $22,536,000 after acquiring an additional 1,121 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc increased its stake in Duke Energy by 4.7% during the 3rd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 24,780 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,106,000 after purchasing an additional 1,118 shares in the last quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd increased its stake in Duke Energy by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 76,520 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $9,469,000 after purchasing an additional 3,001 shares in the last quarter. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the third quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Trust Investment Advisors lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 2.2% in the third quarter. Trust Investment Advisors now owns 13,402 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,658,000 after buying an additional 284 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Company Profile

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.