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Duke Energy (DUK) Stock Declines While Market Improves: Some Information for Investors

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Duke Energy (DUK - Free Report) closed at $119.31 in the latest trading session, marking a -1.2% move from the prior day. The stock trailed the S&P 500, which registered a daily gain of 1.08%. Elsewhere, the Dow saw an upswing of 0.92%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq appreciated by 1.41%.

Coming into today, shares of the electric utility had gained 8.9% in the past month. In that same time, the Utilities sector gained 1.22%, while the S&P 500 lost 8.26%.

The investment community will be paying close attention to the earnings performance of Duke Energy in its upcoming release. In that report, analysts expect Duke Energy to post earnings of $1.60 per share. This would mark year-over-year growth of 11.11%. Our most recent consensus estimate is calling for quarterly revenue of $7.98 billion, up 4% from the year-ago period.

Regarding the entire year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates forecast earnings of $6.32 per share and revenue of $31.72 billion, indicating changes of +7.12% and +4.48%, respectively, compared to the previous year.

Investors should also take note of any recent adjustments to analyst estimates for Duke Energy. These revisions typically reflect the latest short-term business trends, which can change frequently. With this in mind, we can consider positive estimate revisions a sign of optimism about the company's business outlook.

Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. 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 ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell). It has a remarkable, outside-audited track record of success, with #1 stocks delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.14% lower. Currently, Duke Energy is carrying a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

Looking at valuation, Duke Energy is presently trading at a Forward P/E ratio of 19.1. This denotes a premium relative to the industry's average Forward P/E of 18.16.

We can also see that DUK currently has a PEG ratio of 3.02. The PEG ratio is akin to the commonly utilized P/E ratio, but this measure also incorporates the company's anticipated earnings growth rate. The Utility - Electric Power industry had an average PEG ratio of 2.66 as trading concluded yesterday.

The Utility - Electric Power industry is part of the Utilities sector. With its current Zacks Industry Rank of 80, this industry ranks in the top 32% of all industries, numbering over 250.

The strength of our individual industry groups is measured by the Zacks Industry Rank, which is calculated based on the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within these groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Be sure to follow all of these stock-moving metrics, and many more, on Zacks.com.


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