Duke Energy upgraded to Neutral from Sell at Seaport Global

Seaport Global upgraded Duke Energy (DUK) to Neutral from Sell with no price target. Though arguing Duke "remains the only large cap regulated electric utility that hasn’t come clean on its sustainable earnings power," especially in a higher interest rate environment, the recent pullback in interest rates should be helpful, the analyst tells investors. The relative performance of Duke’s and Dominion’s (D) stocks since November 4 leads the analyst to argue that "the pairs trade is unlikely to unwind any time soon," which, together with a recent flight to safety, prompted the upgrade.