Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Updates FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Tuesday. The company provided EPS guidance of 6.550-6.800 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 6.710. The company issued revenue guidance of -.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of DUK stock traded down $0.14 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $124.14. The stock had a trading volume of 1,786,919 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,911,911. The business’s fifty day moving average is $125.61 and its 200-day moving average is $126.28. The firm has a market cap of $96.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.00, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.38. Duke Energy has a 1-year low of $113.89 and a 1-year high of $134.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The utilities provider reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.30 by $0.13. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.49% and a return on equity of 9.73%. The company had revenue of $7.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.66 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.25 EPS. Duke Energy’s quarterly revenue was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Duke Energy will post 6.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.085 per share. This represents a $4.34 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This is a positive change from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 65.24%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Friday. Mizuho reduced their price objective on Duke Energy from $139.00 to $135.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Morgan Stanley set a $138.00 price objective on Duke Energy in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $143.00 to $138.00 in a report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Duke Energy from $135.00 to $136.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.62.

Insider Buying and Selling at Duke Energy

In other Duke Energy news, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.15, for a total transaction of $438,025.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 21,415 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,680,087.25. This trade represents a 14.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.37, for a total value of $2,487,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 96,102 shares in the company, valued at $11,952,205.74. This trade represents a 17.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Duke Energy

Here are the key news stories impacting Duke Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy reported second-quarter adjusted earnings of $1.43 per share, above the roughly $1.29–$1.30 analyst consensus and up from $1.25 a year earlier. Higher electricity demand and recovery of rate-based infrastructure investments supported the result. Reuters article
• Positive Sentiment: Net income rose to $1.145 billion from $1.007 billion in the year-ago quarter, while operating revenue increased 1.1% to approximately $7.59 billion. The Electric Utilities and Infrastructure segment generated $1.271 billion in income. Duke Energy second-quarter results
• Neutral Sentiment: The company maintained its full-year 2026 adjusted EPS outlook of $6.55 to $6.80, along with its long-term adjusted EPS growth target of 5% to 7% through 2030. However, the guidance midpoint of $6.675 is modestly below the $6.71 analyst consensus, offering little basis for upward earnings revisions.
• Negative Sentiment: Quarterly revenue of $7.592 billion fell slightly short of the $7.66 billion forecast. Rising depreciation, interest expense and other costs also offset part of the benefit from stronger demand and infrastructure investment recovery. Earnings and revenue results

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Duke Energy

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,931,127 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,046,818,000 after purchasing an additional 58,375 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 0.4% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,758,700 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $960,139,000 after buying an additional 31,703 shares in the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 3,633,204 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $425,848,000 after buying an additional 148,114 shares in the last quarter. Amundi grew its position in Duke Energy by 56.9% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 2,662,460 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $312,067,000 after buying an additional 965,808 shares during the period. Finally, Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 19.1% in the third quarter. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec now owns 2,613,595 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $323,432,000 after buying an additional 419,992 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Duke Energy

Duke Energy Corporation is a U.S.-based electric power holding company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. The company’s core business is the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Duke Energy operates a mix of regulated electric utilities and non-regulated energy businesses, providing essential energy infrastructure and services across multiple states.

Its operating activities include owning and operating generation assets across a portfolio that encompasses nuclear, natural gas, coal, hydroelectric and an expanding array of renewable resources, as well as battery storage and grid modernization projects.