Duke Energy (DUK) Stock Sinks As Market Gains: What You Should Know

DUK

Duke Energy (DUK - Free Report) closed at $91.52 in the latest trading session, marking a -0.52% move from the prior day. This move lagged the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.12%. Meanwhile, the Dow gained 0.13%, and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, lost 4.09%.

Prior to today's trading, shares of the electric utility had lost 5.48% over the past month. This has lagged the Utilities sector's loss of 2.53% and the S&P 500's gain of 3.98% in that time.

Duke Energy will be looking to display strength as it nears its next earnings release. On that day, Duke Energy is projected to report earnings of $1.14 per share, which would represent no growth from the prior-year quarter. Our most recent consensus estimate is calling for quarterly revenue of $6.7 billion, up 0.17% from the year-ago period.

Looking at the full year, our Zacks Consensus Estimates suggest analysts are expecting earnings of $5.62 per share and revenue of $29.38 billion. These totals would mark changes of +6.64% and +0.85%, respectively, from last year.

Investors should also note any recent changes to analyst estimates for Duke Energy. Recent revisions tend to reflect the latest near-term business trends. As such, positive estimate revisions reflect analyst optimism about the company's business and profitability.

Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. Investors can capitalize on this by using the Zacks Rank. This model considers these estimate changes and provides a simple, actionable rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, which ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. The Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.03% higher within the past month. Duke Energy is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

Looking at its valuation, Duke Energy is holding a Forward P/E ratio of 16.37. This represents a discount compared to its industry's average Forward P/E of 16.88.

Meanwhile, DUK's PEG ratio is currently 2.65. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. Utility - Electric Power stocks are, on average, holding a PEG ratio of 2.86 based on yesterday's closing prices.

The Utility - Electric Power industry is part of the Utilities sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 60, putting it in the top 24% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our individual industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

To follow DUK in the coming trading sessions, be sure to utilize Zacks.com.

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