KeyCorp Comments on Duke Energy's Q2 Earnings (NYSE:DUK)

Key Points

• KeyCorp initiated Q2 2026 EPS coverage on Duke Energy at $1.32 per share and maintained an Overweight rating with a $139 price target.
• Duke Energy recently reported better-than-expected Q1 results, posting $1.93 EPS versus $1.87 expected and $9.18 billion in revenue, up 11.3% year over year.
• The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $1.085 per share, implying a 3.4% yield, while analysts overall still rate the stock a Moderate Buy with a consensus target of $138.62.

Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) - Equities researchers at KeyCorp issued their Q2 2026 EPS estimates for Duke Energy in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, July 22nd. KeyCorp analyst S. Karp expects that the utilities provider will earn $1.32 per share for the quarter. KeyCorp has a "Overweight" rating and a $139.00 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 Q3 2026 earnings at $1.99 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $1.57 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $7.12 EPS, FY2028 earnings at $7.58 EPS and FY2029 earnings at $8.07 EPS.

A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Duke Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $136.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Monday, May 4th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $143.00 to $138.00 in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $138.00 price objective on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Wednesday. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $138.62.

Duke Energy Price Performance

NYSE:DUK opened at $129.29 on Friday. Duke Energy has a 52-week low of $113.89 and a 52-week high of $134.49. The company has a market cap of $100.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.66. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $125.11 and its 200 day simple moving average is $125.75.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $0.06. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.49% and a return on equity of 9.73%. The firm had revenue of $9.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.44 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.76 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a $1.085 dividend. This is an increase from Duke Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. This represents a $4.34 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 65.24%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.15, for a total value of $438,025.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 21,415 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,680,087.25. This represents a 14.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.37, for a total transaction of $2,487,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 96,102 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,952,205.74. This represents a 17.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.12% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Duke Energy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Basso Capital Management L.P. bought a new position in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Dorato Capital Management bought a new stake in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 1,111.1% during the 4th quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 218 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 68.6% during the 4th quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 231 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cornerstone Financial Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company's stock.

More Duke Energy News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy said data center growth should create billions of dollars in long-term customer savings and support responsible system expansion, reinforcing a constructive demand outlook for the utility. Duke Energy: Data center growth will deliver billions of dollars of customer savings
• Positive Sentiment: Duke Energy received its first advanced gas turbine, which should help it generate electricity more efficiently and support reliability and future capacity needs. Duke Energy receives first advanced gas turbine to generate electricity more efficiently
• Neutral Sentiment: Florida officials are moving toward extending Duke Energy’s service territory for decades, which may improve long-term visibility but does not appear to be an immediate earnings catalyst. As electric bills rise, Florida officials move toward 30 more years with Duke Energy
• Neutral Sentiment: A local outage in east Durham affected more than 2,000 customers during heavy rain, highlighting operational disruptions but likely having limited financial impact. More than 2,000 without power in east Durham amid heavy rain: Duke Energy
• Negative Sentiment: North Carolina’s attorney general said Duke Energy’s reduced rate increase is still too high, keeping regulatory pressure on the company’s pricing plans. NC attorney general says Duke Energy's lowered rate increase is still too high
• Negative Sentiment: Reports of a stakeholder agreement cutting the residential rate increase to 9.5% suggest Duke may get less pricing relief than it initially sought. Duke Energy-stakeholder agreement pares down residential rate increase to 9.5% for 2 years

Duke Energy Company Profile

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.