BMO Capital Markets Has Lowered Expectations for Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Stock Price

Posted by Francis Steltz on Aug 5th, 2026

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK – Get Free Report) had its price target decreased by equities researchers at BMO Capital Markets from $134.00 to $132.00 in a report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “outperform” rating on the utilities provider’s stock. BMO Capital Markets’ price objective indicates a potential upside of 5.90% from the company’s current price.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $139.00 to $135.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Morgan Stanley set a $138.00 price objective on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Capitol Sec Mgt cut shares of Duke Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $137.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $136.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.38.

View Our Latest Stock Report on DUK

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.3%

DUK opened at $124.65 on Wednesday. Duke Energy has a 52 week low of $113.89 and a 52 week high of $134.49. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $125.61 and a 200-day simple moving average of $126.32. The firm has a market cap of $97.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.30 by $0.13. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.73% and a net margin of 15.49%.The firm had revenue of $7.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.66 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.25 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Duke Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.550-6.800 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Duke Energy will post 6.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Duke Energy news, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.15, for a total transaction of $438,025.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 21,415 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,680,087.25. This trade represents a 14.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.37, for a total transaction of $2,487,400.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 96,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,952,205.74. This represents a 17.23% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Duke Energy

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of DUK. Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 1.2% in the second quarter. Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. now owns 6,623 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $838,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Sharp Wealth Advisory LLC boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 4.5% in the 1st quarter. Sharp Wealth Advisory LLC now owns 1,876 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $246,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. Absher Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Duke Energy by 2.3% during the 1st quarter. Absher Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,648 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $478,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. A4 Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Duke Energy by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. A4 Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,597 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $304,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the period. Finally, Elm Partners Management LLC lifted its stake in Duke Energy by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Elm Partners Management LLC now owns 9,254 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,085,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Duke Energy

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

Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy reported adjusted second-quarter EPS of $1.43, above the $1.30 analyst consensus and up from $1.25 a year earlier. Higher electricity demand and recovery of rate-based infrastructure investments helped offset rising expenses. Reuters earnings report
Positive Sentiment: Management reaffirmed its fiscal 2026 adjusted EPS outlook of $6.55 to $6.80 and its longer-term 5%–7% annual adjusted EPS growth target through 2030. The company also highlighted data-center demand and industrial growth as drivers of expanded capital investment. Duke Energy Q2 earnings call transcript
Positive Sentiment: Net income increased to $1.145 billion from $1.007 billion, while operating revenue rose 1.1% year over year to $7.592 billion. Continued customer growth and infrastructure recovery provide support for future utility earnings. Duke Energy second-quarter results
Neutral Sentiment: Barclays lowered its Duke Energy price target from $140 to $132 but maintained an “overweight” rating, implying roughly 5.9% potential upside from the referenced $124.65 price. The target cut suggests more measured expectations despite continued analyst support.
Negative Sentiment: Second-quarter revenue fell short of the $7.66 billion consensus estimate, and management is navigating higher depreciation, interest costs, affordability concerns and complex negotiations with data-center customers. These issues may constrain margins and increase execution risk as capital spending rises. Duke Energy earnings call highlights

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.