Zacks Research Comments on Duke Energy Co.'s Q4 2025 Earnings (NYSE:DUK)

Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) - Equities researchers at Zacks Research raised their Q4 2025 earnings estimates for shares of Duke Energy in a report issued on Thursday, March 28th. Zacks Research analyst A. Dutta now forecasts that the utilities provider will post earnings per share of $1.68 for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $1.67. The consensus estimate for Duke Energy's current full-year earnings is $5.98 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Duke Energy's FY2026 earnings at $6.46 EPS.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Bank of America downgraded shares of Duke Energy from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $105.00 to $96.00 in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Royal Bank of Canada raised shares of Duke Energy from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $101.00 to $113.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on Duke Energy from $101.00 to $100.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $103.00 to $100.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 9th. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $106.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 4th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $100.00.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:DUK traded up $0.62 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $96.71. The stock had a trading volume of 2,637,612 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,209,863. The company's 50 day moving average is $94.03 and its 200-day moving average is $92.93. The company has a market cap of $74.61 billion, a PE ratio of 27.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.46. Duke Energy has a 12-month low of $83.06 and a 12-month high of $100.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a current ratio of 0.74.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The utilities provider reported $1.51 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.53 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $7.21 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.24 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 8.93% and a net margin of 9.78%. Duke Energy's revenue for the quarter was down 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.11 EPS.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Duke Energy

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. CKW Financial Group bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd bought a new position in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. O Dell Group LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Chilton Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Louis E. Renjel sold 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.57, for a total transaction of $277,710.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,213 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,315,697.41. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 18th. Investors of record on Friday, February 16th were given a dividend of $1.025 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 15th. This represents a $4.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.24%. Duke Energy's payout ratio is presently 115.49%.

About Duke Energy

Duke Energy Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an energy company in the United States. It operates through two segments: Electric Utilities and Infrastructure (EU&I), and Gas Utilities and Infrastructure (GU&I). The EU&I segment generates, transmits, distributes, and sells electricity in the Carolinas, Florida, and the Midwest.