Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Price Target Raised to $135.00

Posted by Andrew Walz on Mar 7th, 2026

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK – Free Report) had its price target upped by Wells Fargo & Company from $115.00 to $135.00 in a research report report published on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the utilities provider’s stock.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on DUK. Morgan Stanley set a $139.00 price objective on Duke Energy in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Barclays cut their target price on Duke Energy from $135.00 to $127.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Scotiabank raised their price target on Duke Energy from $137.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $141.00 price objective on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $136.00 price objective on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $136.87.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Duke Energy

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of DUK opened at $132.53 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $122.58 and its 200 day moving average is $122.38. The company has a current ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54. Duke Energy has a 12-month low of $111.22 and a 12-month high of $132.65. The company has a market capitalization of $103.06 billion, a PE ratio of 20.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.50.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The utilities provider reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $7.94 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.57 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.41% and a return on equity of 9.66%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.66 EPS. Research analysts expect that Duke Energy will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be given a dividend of $1.065 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.2%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 67.41%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 6,800 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.67, for a total transaction of $868,156.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 22,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,809,633.69. This trade represents a 23.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Regis T. Repko sold 962 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.86, for a total transaction of $123,001.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 3,896 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $498,142.56. This trade represents a 19.80% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 11,417.7% during the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 17,668,789 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,084,917,000 after purchasing an additional 17,515,383 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 78,258,757 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $9,172,709,000 after purchasing an additional 1,957,592 shares during the last quarter. Amundi boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 56.9% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 2,662,460 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $312,067,000 after purchasing an additional 965,808 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in Duke Energy by 13.1% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 8,236,893 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $965,446,000 after purchasing an additional 954,907 shares during the period. Finally, Milford Funds Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $97,905,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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: Brookfield completed a minority investment in Duke Energy Florida (9.2%), signaling outside capital for Florida infrastructure growth and a potential de‑risking/partnering path for regional expansion. Brookfield Stake Reshapes Duke Energy Florida Growth And Investor Outlook
Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy Florida reported its lowest average outage times in over 20 years — an operational win that supports reliability narratives and lowers regulatory/PR risk. Duke Energy Florida achieves lowest average outage times in more than 20 years
Positive Sentiment: Market commentary on sector rotation spots Duke among blue‑chip defensive names that could attract flows as investors rotate out of expensive tech; Duke’s dividend history and “all of the above” generation mix are cited as catalysts. 3 Blue-Chip Stocks Built for a Rotating Market
Positive Sentiment: Recent analyst upgrades / favorable coverage have pushed DUK toward a 52‑week high earlier this week, supporting momentum and investor sentiment around near‑term upside. Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Hits New 52-Week High After Analyst Upgrade
Neutral Sentiment: Duke published guidance and customer‑facing information explaining higher winter bills and outlining payment/assistance options — important for customer relations and potential regulatory scrutiny but not an immediate earnings surprise. Understanding higher energy bills this winter – and how Duke Energy can help
Neutral Sentiment: Macro pieces highlighting falling interest rates as a potential tailwind for rate‑sensitive utilities could support multiple expansion for Duke if the rate outlook continues to shift. Interest Rates Are Heading Down — These 3 Stocks Win Big When They Do
Negative Sentiment: Evercore ISI issued a downgrade/negative note on Duke (coverage reported), which can cap near‑term upside and adds analyst skepticism despite other favorable coverage; that pressure likely explains some intraday volatility. Evercore ISI Group downgrades Duke Energy (DUK)

Duke Energy Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.