BMO Capital Markets Lowers Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Price Target to $130.00

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) had its price objective reduced by investment analysts at BMO Capital Markets from $136.00 to $130.00 in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage presently has an “outperform” rating on the utilities provider’s stock. BMO Capital Markets’ price target would indicate a potential upside of 9.43% from the company’s previous close.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Cowen initiated coverage on Duke Energy in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Morgan Stanley set a $126.00 price objective on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. TD Cowen began coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $143.00 target price on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $138.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 13th. Finally, Evercore ISI started coverage on Duke Energy in a report on Monday, October 6th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $143.00 price objective for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $135.56.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:DUK traded up $0.12 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $118.80. The stock had a trading volume of 3,715,166 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,402,734. The stock has a market capitalization of $92.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.50. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $119.14 and its 200-day moving average is $121.36. Duke Energy has a 1 year low of $105.90 and a 1 year high of $130.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a current ratio of 0.63.

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

Insider Transactions at Duke Energy

In other Duke Energy news, EVP Robert Alexander Glenn sold 8,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 11,367 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,407,234.60. The trade was a 41.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 11.6% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,754 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $728,000 after purchasing an additional 700 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in Duke Energy by 19.6% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 23,162 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,825,000 after buying an additional 3,797 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 14.5% in the second quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 10,923 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,289,000 after acquiring an additional 1,384 shares in the last quarter. Balefire LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the second quarter valued at $267,000. Finally, Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Duke Energy by 2.5% during the 2nd quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,209 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $497,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Duke Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Brought a $100M, 50‑MW, four‑hour grid battery online at the retired Allen coal plant and announced plans for a 167‑MW expansion; Duke says the projects will lower fuel costs, capture federal tax credits and support growth across the Carolinas — a material infrastructure growth story that investors typically view as positive for long‑term earnings and transition strategy. Duke Energy brings new grid battery on line at former Allen coal plant
• Positive Sentiment: South Carolina regulators approved Duke rate increases, which should raise allowed utility revenues and support near‑term cash flow and earnings stability in that jurisdiction. South Carolina regulators approve Duke Energy rate increases
• Neutral Sentiment: Longtime EVP and Chief Generation Officer Preston Gillespie will retire after 40 years — an executive succession item that creates some near‑term leadership change risk but is not unexpected. Monitor succession details for any operational guidance changes. Duke Energy announces leadership changes in its generation and operational excellence organization
• Neutral Sentiment: Local customer and community initiatives (e.g., free tree programs in Florida) are being promoted; positive for PR/customer goodwill but unlikely to move fundamentals. Duke Energy offers free trees for customers in Florida
• Negative Sentiment: Duke Energy Florida will remove its storm cost‑recovery charge from customer bills a month earlier than planned, producing an approximate $33 reduction for residential bills in February and an additional ~$11 in March — good for customers but a near‑term reduction in billed recoveries and cash inflows for the utility unit. Duke Energy Florida announces storm cost recovery charge will be removed
• Negative Sentiment: Reports show Duke is retreating from a planned large pumped‑hydro expansion, which could limit future large‑scale storage options and raise questions about the company’s longer‑term storage strategy. That may pressure investor expectations for growth in certain clean‑energy segments. Why is Duke Energy retreating from a major pumped-hydro expansion?

About Duke Energy

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.