Duke Energy Stock Sees Q3 Earnings Estimate Cut at KeyCorp

Key Points

• KeyCorp lowered Duke Energy’s Q3 2026 EPS estimate to $1.88 from $1.99 but maintained an “Overweight” rating and a $128 price target. Analysts’ average price target is $133.38, above the stock’s recent $119.51 price.
• Duke Energy’s latest quarterly results exceeded expectations, with EPS of $1.43 versus the $1.30 consensus, while revenue rose 1.1% year over year to $7.59 billion but fell slightly short of estimates.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.085, equivalent to $4.34 annually and a 3.6% yield; institutional investors own approximately 65.31% of the stock.

Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) - Stock analysts at KeyCorp cut their Q3 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Duke Energy in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, October 12th. KeyCorp analyst S. Karp now forecasts that the utilities provider will earn $1.88 per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $1.99. KeyCorp has an "Overweight" rating and a $128.00 price target on the stock. The consensus estimate for Duke Energy's current full-year earnings is $6.72 per share. KeyCorp also issued estimates for Duke Energy's Q4 2026 earnings at $1.43 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $6.64 EPS.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $133.00 to $127.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 18th. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $124.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $137.00 to $130.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Mizuho set a $136.00 target price on Duke Energy in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a "hold" rating and set a $121.00 price target on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Monday. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $133.38.

Duke Energy Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of Duke Energy stock opened at $119.51 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.66. Duke Energy has a 52-week low of $112.40 and a 52-week high of $134.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $93.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.36. The company's 50 day moving average price is $119.11 and its 200-day moving average price is $123.88.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The utilities provider reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.30 by $0.13. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.78% and a net margin of 15.78%. The business had revenue of $7.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.66 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.25 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Duke Energy

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in Duke Energy in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $605,680,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its stake in Duke Energy by 5,254.4% during the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 2,735,816 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $358,227,000 after buying an additional 2,684,721 shares during the last quarter. Cullen Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at $244,731,000. Great Lakes Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at $100,586,000. Finally, VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 2nd quarter worth $88,657,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 13th will be issued a $1.0850 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 13th. This represents a $4.34 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.6%. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio is 65.17%.

More Duke Energy News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Large-load rules could support data-center growth. FERC approved Duke Energy’s transmission rules for large electricity customers, while North Carolina’s attorney general described the company’s proposed data-center tariff as a “massive step forward.” The measures are intended to make high-demand customers pay appropriate infrastructure costs, potentially reducing financial risk for Duke and its existing ratepayers. FERC approves Duke large load transmission rules North Carolina data center tariff
• Positive Sentiment: Infrastructure investment supports long-term reliability and earnings visibility. Duke’s roughly $103 billion investment plan and ongoing grid upgrades are intended to improve storm resilience and accommodate rising power demand. The company also reported quarterly EPS above analyst expectations in its latest results, although revenue was slightly below estimates. Duke Energy grid investments
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst consensus remains above the current share price. A reported average price target is $133.38, implying meaningful potential appreciation, and KeyBanc retained an overweight rating despite reducing its target to $128 from $139. Duke Energy average price target KeyBanc price target adjustment
• Neutral Sentiment: JPMorgan lowered its target but kept a neutral rating. The target was cut to $130 from $137, signaling more limited near-term upside despite remaining above the recent trading level. JPMorgan Duke Energy price target
• Neutral Sentiment: Duke is replacing utility poles in Lafayette and providing community grants, modestly supporting infrastructure and local relationships but offering little immediate earnings impact. Lafayette utility pole replacement
• Negative Sentiment: Service and customer-relations issues remain risks. More than 20,000 customers reportedly lost power in Davidson County, while North Carolina residents alleged Duke denied claims after a power surge damaged appliances. These reports could increase regulatory scrutiny and customer compensation costs. Davidson County power outage North Carolina power surge claims

Duke Energy Company Profile

Duke Energy Corporation NYSE: DUK is an energy holding company that operates regulated electric and natural gas utilities in the United States. Its electric utilities generate, transmit, distribute and sell electricity to residential, commercial, industrial and other customers.

The company serves customers across the Carolinas, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. Duke Energy also operates natural gas utilities and related infrastructure in several states, including North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee.

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