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Duke Energy (DUK) Declines More Than Market: Some Information for Investors

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Duke Energy (DUK - Free Report) closed the most recent trading day at $98.03, moving -0.44% from the previous trading session. The stock's change was less than the S&P 500's daily loss of 0.37%. Elsewhere, the Dow lost 0.62%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 0.19%.

The electric utility's shares have seen an increase of 1.33% over the last month, surpassing the Utilities sector's loss of 3.8% and falling behind the S&P 500's gain of 1.56%.

Investors will be eagerly watching for the performance of Duke Energy in its upcoming earnings disclosure. The company's earnings report is set to be unveiled on February 8, 2024. In that report, analysts expect Duke Energy to post earnings of $1.55 per share. This would mark year-over-year growth of 39.64%. Meanwhile, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenue is projecting net sales of $7.55 billion, up 2.7% from the year-ago period.

Additionally, investors should keep an eye on any recent revisions to analyst forecasts for Duke Energy. These revisions typically reflect the latest short-term business trends, which can change frequently. Hence, positive alterations in estimates signify analyst optimism regarding the company's business and profitability.

Empirical research indicates that these revisions in estimates have a direct correlation with impending stock price performance. To utilize this, we have created the Zacks Rank, a proprietary model that integrates these estimate changes and provides a functional rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, ranging from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), possesses a remarkable history of outdoing, externally audited, with #1 stocks returning an average annual gain of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, there's been a 0.29% rise in the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate. Currently, Duke Energy is carrying a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

Valuation is also important, so investors should note that Duke Energy has a Forward P/E ratio of 16.49 right now. This indicates a premium in contrast to its industry's Forward P/E of 14.97.

It's also important to note that DUK currently trades at a PEG ratio of 2.6. The PEG ratio bears resemblance to the frequently used P/E ratio, but this parameter also includes the company's expected earnings growth trajectory. As of the close of trade yesterday, the Utility - Electric Power industry held an average PEG ratio of 2.61.

The Utility - Electric Power industry is part of the Utilities sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 104, putting it in the top 42% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank is ordered from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Make sure to utilize Zacks.com to follow all of these stock-moving metrics, and more, in the coming trading sessions.


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