Q3 EPS Estimates for Duke Energy Lifted by Zacks Research

Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) – Analysts at Zacks Research upped their Q3 2026 earnings estimates for shares of Duke Energy in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, March 6th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now forecasts that the utilities provider will earn $1.79 per share for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $1.77. The consensus estimate for Duke Energy’s current full-year earnings is $6.33 per share.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently commented on DUK. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Scotiabank boosted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Guggenheim upped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $122.57.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE DUK opened at $116.78 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $90.68 billion, a PE ratio of 20.45, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. Duke Energy has a 1-year low of $92.75 and a 1-year high of $121.25. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $111.81 and a 200 day moving average price of $113.26.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.58%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 73.20%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Bailard Inc. grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 10.9% during the 4th quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 31,921 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,439,000 after purchasing an additional 3,139 shares in the last quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC now owns 52,097 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $5,613,000 after purchasing an additional 2,705 shares in the last quarter. First Business Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $384,000. Pines Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,032,000. Finally, CCM Investment Advisers LLC boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 24.3% during the 4th quarter. CCM Investment Advisers LLC now owns 83,610 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $9,008,000 after acquiring an additional 16,356 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

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.