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Duke Energy (DUK) Increases Despite Market Slip: Here's What You Need to Know

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In the latest trading session, Duke Energy (DUK - Free Report) closed at $123.10, marking a +1.25% move from the previous day. The stock exceeded the S&P 500, which registered a loss of 0.55% for the day. Elsewhere, the Dow saw a downswing of 0.19%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq depreciated by 0.95%.

Shares of the electric utility witnessed a loss of 1.24% over the previous month, trailing the performance of the Utilities sector with its loss of 1.16%, and the S&P 500's gain of 3.64%.

Analysts and investors alike will be keeping a close eye on the performance of Duke Energy in its upcoming earnings disclosure. The company's earnings per share (EPS) are projected to be $1.7, reflecting a 4.94% increase from the same quarter last year. Meanwhile, the latest consensus estimate predicts the revenue to be $8.41 billion, indicating a 3.15% increase compared to the same quarter of the previous year.

For the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $6.32 per share and revenue of $31.72 billion, which would represent changes of +7.12% and +4.48%, respectively, from the prior 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 a result, upbeat changes in estimates indicate analysts' favorable outlook on the business health and profitability.

Our research demonstrates that these adjustments in estimates directly associate with imminent stock price performance. To capitalize on this, we've crafted the Zacks Rank, a unique model that incorporates these estimate changes and offers a practical rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, spanning from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), boasts an impressive track record of outperformance, audited externally, with #1 ranked stocks yielding an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has witnessed an unchanged state. Duke Energy is currently a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

With respect to valuation, Duke Energy is currently being traded at a Forward P/E ratio of 19.24. For comparison, its industry has an average Forward P/E of 18.13, which means Duke Energy is trading at a premium to the group.

Investors should also note that DUK has a PEG ratio of 2.93 right now. The PEG ratio is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but this metric also takes the company's expected earnings growth rate into account. The average PEG ratio for the Utility - Electric Power industry stood at 2.7 at the close of the market yesterday.

The Utility - Electric Power industry is part of the Utilities sector. This industry, currently bearing a Zacks Industry Rank of 86, finds itself in the top 35% echelons 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.

Don't forget to use Zacks.com to keep track of all these stock-moving metrics, and others, in the upcoming trading sessions.


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