Zacks Research Forecasts Stronger Earnings for Duke Energy

Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) - Stock analysts at Zacks Research boosted their Q1 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Duke Energy in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, December 18th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now forecasts that the utilities provider will earn $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.

DUK has been the topic of several other reports. Scotiabank increased their price objective on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $138.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Mizuho raised shares of Duke Energy from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their target price for the company from $116.00 to $121.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Duke Energy from $120.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $122.23.

Duke Energy Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of DUK traded up $1.20 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $108.28. 6,040,396 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,097,942. Duke Energy has a fifty-two week low of $90.09 and a fifty-two week high of $121.25. The stock's 50-day moving average is $113.92 and its 200-day moving average is $110.98. The company has a market cap of $83.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.90, a P/E/G ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.70.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $8.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.06 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.34% and a net margin of 14.31%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.94 EPS.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Duke Energy

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in DUK. Goodman Advisory Group LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at $2,888,000. Hilltop Holdings Inc. grew its position in Duke Energy by 59.2% in the third quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. now owns 23,388 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,697,000 after acquiring an additional 8,699 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Duke Energy by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 17,488,176 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,016,846,000 after buying an additional 442,302 shares during the period. Commerce Bank lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 5.9% in the third quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 269,217 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $31,041,000 after acquiring an additional 15,069 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PrairieView Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $501,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th were issued a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 15th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.86%. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 76.84%.

About Duke Energy

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.