JPMorgan Chase & Co. Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Stock

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

DUK has been the topic of several other reports. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $132.00 price objective on Duke Energy in a research note on Tuesday, July 1st. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $127.00 price target (up from $124.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Citigroup increased their price target on Duke Energy from $130.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Wells Fargo & Company increased 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. Finally, Scotiabank increased 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 investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $130.07.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.1%

DUK stock opened at $124.2140 on Thursday. Duke Energy has a 1-year low of $105.20 and a 1-year high of $127.85. The firm has a market cap of $96.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.20, a P/E/G ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.36. The business’s 50 day moving average is $119.78 and its 200-day moving average is $118.35. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Duke Energy news, SVP Bonnie B. Titone sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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. This trade represents a 9.26% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Thomas Preston Jr. Gillespie sold 6,700 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.26, for a total value of $832,542.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 46,422 shares in the company, valued at $5,768,397.72. The trade was a 12.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Activest Wealth Management lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 98.1% in the 1st quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 212 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Mattson Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.