Zacks Research Forecasts Stronger Earnings for Duke Energy

Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) – Equities research analysts at Zacks Research raised their Q1 2025 EPS estimates for Duke Energy in a research note issued on Wednesday, December 18th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now anticipates that the utilities provider will post earnings of $1.54 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $1.50. The consensus estimate for Duke Energy’s current full-year earnings is $5.95 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Duke Energy’s Q3 2025 earnings at $1.68 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $6.34 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $1.73 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $6.73 EPS.

A number of other brokerages have also weighed in on DUK. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Duke Energy from $120.00 to $126.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 target price on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.23.

Duke Energy Stock Up 1.1 %

NYSE DUK opened at $108.28 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. Duke Energy has a 12 month low of $90.09 and a 12 month high of $121.25. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $113.92 and its 200 day moving average is $111.03. The stock has a market cap of $83.64 billion, a PE ratio of 19.90, a P/E/G ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.47.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.73 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $8.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.06 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 9.34%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.94 EPS.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the third quarter worth $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Sachetta LLC boosted its position in Duke Energy by 41.9% in the 2nd quarter. Sachetta LLC now owns 325 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the period. Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 100.0% during the third quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 334 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th were given a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.86%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 15th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 76.84%.

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.