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Duke Energy (DUK) AI Stock Analysis

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DUK

Duke Energy

(NYSE:DUK)

Select Model
Rating:72Outperform
Price Target:$144.00▲(11.12% Upside)
Action:reiterated
Date:11/05/26

DUK scores well primarily on constructive guidance and a positive earnings-call outlook, supported by strong technical trend signals. The score is held back by elevated leverage typical for utilities and a historically volatile free-cash-flow profile tied to heavy investment cycles, while valuation appears fair with a supportive dividend.

Positive Factors
Regulated essential-service modelDuke’s regulated electric and gas operations provide essential services with prices and cost recovery governed by state commissions. Approved rate base investment can earn regulated returns, supporting recurring revenue, greater earnings visibility, and resilience across economic cycles.
Negative Factors
Elevated financial leverageMeaningful leverage increases Duke’s sensitivity to financing costs and refinancing conditions as its asset base expands. Higher debt dependence can constrain financial flexibility, raise the cost of funding future projects, and leave less capacity to absorb adverse regulatory or operating developments.

Duke Energy Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Electric Utilities by SegmentDetails revenue and performance across various electric utility segments, indicating operational strengths, customer base diversity, and market position.

0.0020.00K40.00K60.00KMar 21Jun 21Sep 21Dec 21Mar 22Jun 22Sep 22Dec 22Mar 23Jun 23Sep 23Dec 23Mar 24Jun 24Sep 24Dec 24Mar 25Jun 25Sep 25Dec 25Mar 26Jun 26
Chart Insights

Residential demand is the steady, seasonal anchor while Industrial volumes remain flat-to-soft, shifting the growth burden to commercial/large‑load channels; General Service and Wholesale show modest upticks that align with management’s data‑center wins. Duke’s $103B capital plan and ~4.5GW of signed ESAs point to outsized future load-driven growth in those segments and an earnings inflection by 2028, but execution, timing, regulatory scrutiny and planned equity issuance are key risks to that upside.

Data provided by:The Fly

Duke Energy (DUK) vs. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)

-10%-5%0%5%10%15%20%DUK+9.12%SPY+15.52%Dec '25Jan '26Feb '26Mar '26Apr '26May '26Jun '26Jul '26Aug '26Sep '26Oct '26Nov '26
Market Cap
$101.04B
Dividend Yield
3.30%
Average Volume (3M)
4.08M
Price to Earnings (P/E)
19.5
Beta (1Y)
-0.17
Revenue Growth
6.33%
EPS Growth
8.98%
Country
US
Employees
26,441
Sector
Utilities
Sector Strength
66
Industry
Regulated Electric

Duke Energy Business Overview & Revenue Model

Company Description

Duke Energy Corporation, an energy provider operating across the United States with its various affiliates, structures its operations into three primary divisions: Electric Utilities and Infrastructure, Gas Utilities and Infrastructure, and Commercia...

How the Company Makes Money

Duke Energy primarily makes money through regulated utility operations, where most revenues are earned by providing essential electricity and natural gas service under state utility commission regulation. 1) Regulated electric utility revenues (prima...

Duke Energy Earnings Call Summary

Earnings Call Date:Nov 04, 2026(Q3-2026)|Next Earnings Date:Feb 10, 2027
Earnings Call SentimentPositive

The call was strongly positive. Duke reported year-over-year EPS growth, narrowed 2026 guidance toward the top end, reaffirmed 5% to 7% long-term EPS growth, and highlighted substantial load growth, capital investment, regulatory progress and project development. The company also cited several offsets and execution challenges, including higher depreciation and interest expense, a required Florida tariff refiling, a denied Smith CPCN and slower complex contract negotiations, but management expressed confidence in addressing these items and maintaining its growth plan.

Positive Updates

Third-Quarter EPS Growth
Adjusted and reported earnings per share were $1.99, up from $1.81 in the prior year. Electric Utilities and Infrastructure increased earnings by $0.20, driven by rate cases and riders, higher sales volumes and hot summer weather.

Negative Updates

Higher Depreciation and Interest Expense
Growth in Electric Utilities and Infrastructure was partially offset by higher depreciation and interest expense associated with the growing asset base, as well as minority interest at Duke Energy Florida.

Company Guidance

Duke Energy narrowed its 2026 adjusted EPS guidance range to $6.70 to $6.80 and expects to finish the year near the top end, while reaffirming 5% to 7% long-term earnings per share growth through 2030 with confidence to earn in the top half of the range beginning in 2028. The company expects 3% to 4% load growth, plans to add 16 gigawatts of capacity by 2031, and is investing under a $103 billion capital plan with $5 billion to $10 billion of upside capital for large load customers. Duke remains confident in converting the full 15.4 gigawatt late-stage pipeline to ESAs by the first half of 2027, while 5.2 gigawatts of data centers currently under construction remain on schedule to begin taking energy in the second half of 2027 and into 2028; it also expects to achieve its 14.5% FFO-to-debt target for 2026.

Duke Energy Financial Statement Overview

Summary

Earnings and margins are stable-to-improving (income statement score 78) with revenue growth and utility-like profitability, but this is tempered by meaningful leverage on the balance sheet (score 64) and a volatile free-cash-flow profile driven by heavy capex and inconsistent cash conversion (cash flow score 52). Overall financial quality is solid, with cash flow consistency the key watch item.

Income Statement

78Positive

Balance Sheet

64Positive

Cash Flow

52Neutral
Financial statement breakdown
BreakdownTTMDec 2025Dec 2024Dec 2023Dec 2022Dec 2021
Income Statement
Total Revenue33.81B32.24B30.36B29.06B28.77B24.62B
Gross Profit20.45B10.17B15.20B13.76B12.98B11.96B
EBITDA17.50B15.67B15.00B13.87B12.36B11.86B
Net Income5.39B4.97B4.51B2.84B2.55B3.91B
Balance Sheet
Total Assets203.86B195.74B186.34B176.89B178.09B169.59B
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments451.00M245.00M314.00M253.00M409.00M341.00M
Total Debt9.45B90.87B85.23B80.46B74.91B68.26B
Total Liabilities146.32B142.72B135.09B126.71B126.23B118.45B
Stockholders Equity55.38B51.84B50.13B49.11B49.32B49.30B
Cash Flow
Free Cash Flow7.40B-1.67B48.00M-2.73B-5.44B-1.43B
Operating Cash Flow11.55B12.35B12.33B9.88B5.93B8.29B
Investing Cash Flow-15.19B-14.36B-13.12B-12.47B-11.97B-10.94B
Financing Cash Flow3.46B1.95B859.00M2.35B6.13B2.61B

Duke Energy Technical Analysis

Technical Analysis SentimentPositive
Last Price129.59

Price Trends

50DMA119.53Positive
100DMA122.03Positive
200DMA123.19Positive

Market Momentum

MACD2.72Negative
RSI69.63Neutral
STOCH85.40Negative

Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For DUK, the sentiment is Positive. The current price of 129.59 is above the 20-day moving average (MA) of 122.58, above the 50-day MA of 119.53, and above the 200-day MA of 123.19, indicating a bullish trend. The MACD of 2.72 indicates Negative momentum. The RSI at 69.63 is Neutral, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 85.40 is Negative, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Positive sentiment for DUK.

Duke Energy Risk Analysis

Duke Energy disclosed 1 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. Duke Energy reported the most risks in the "Legal & Regulatory" category.

Higher RiskSector Avg.Lower RiskFinance & CorporateTech & InnovationLegal & RegulatoryProductionAbility to SellMacro & Political
Legal & Regulatory - Litigation, compliance, new legislation, and taxation risks

Latest Risks Added

0 New Risks

Duke Energy Peers Comparison

Overall Rating

UnderperformOutperform
Sector (66)

Financial Indicators

DUK against its peers
NameOverall RatingMarket CapP/E RatioROEDividend YieldRevenue GrowthEPS Growth
SOSO75Outperform$107.85B22.3312.61%3.22%6.40%6.90%
AEPAEP73Outperform$70.71B20.9110.49%2.94%9.75%-9.77%
DUKDUK72Outperform$98.64B19.469.88%3.30%6.33%8.98%
NEENEE69Neutral$176.87B15.8520.37%2.75%13.47%76.73%
EXCEXC67Neutral$47.09B17.998.95%3.59%6.67%-7.99%
DD66Neutral$58.74B23.109.28%3.83%23.11%2.81%
Sector *66Neutral$17.65B18.105.60%3.62%6.62%11.55%

* Utilities Sector Average

Performance Comparison

-10%0%10%20%DUKAEPDEXCNEESODec '25Jan '26Feb '26Mar '26Apr '26May '26Jun '26Jul '26Aug '26Sep '26Oct '26Nov '26
DUK and its peers over the selected period
Show on chartTickerCompany NamePriceChange% Change
DUKDuke Energy129.5910.128.47%
AEPAmerican Electric Power Company, Inc.129.2411.469.73%
DDominion Energy Inc69.7510.6918.10%
EXCExelon Corp.46.241.673.74%
NEENextEra Energy Inc.88.456.878.41%
SOThe Southern Company93.124.605.20%

Duke Energy Corporate Events

Business Operations and StrategyExecutive/Board Changes

Duke Energy adds Joyce Mullen to board

Positive
Sep 25, 2026

On Sept. 25, 2026, Duke Energy announced that Joyce Mullen has been appointed to its board of directors, effective Sept. 28, 2026, with service on the Audit Committee and the Operations and Nuclear Oversight Committee. Mullen, who retired as presiden...

Private Placements and Financing

Duke Energy Completes Major Equity Units Financing Offering

Positive
Aug 13, 2026

On August 13, 2026, Duke Energy completed the issuance and sale of 40 million equity units, initially in the form of Corporate Units, under an August 10 underwriting agreement with a syndicate led by Barclays, BofA Securities and Mizuho Securities. T...

Glossary
BuyA stock rated as a "Buy" is expected to perform better than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock is likely to deliver higher returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
HoldA stock rated as a "Hold" is expected to perform in line with the overall market or a specific benchmark. This rating indicates that the stock is neither particularly compelling nor unfavorable for investment. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
SellA stock rated as a "Sell" is expected to perform worse than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock may deliver lower returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.

Disclaimer

This AI Analyst Stock Report is automatically generated by our AI systems using advanced algorithms and publicly available financial, technical, and market data. While the information provided aims to be accurate and insightful, it is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Any content created by an AI (Artificial Intelligence) system may contain inaccuracies and/or contain errors. Investing in stocks carries inherent risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results. This report does not account for your personal financial circumstances, objectives, or risk tolerance. Always conduct your own research or consult with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. The analysis and recommendations provided are based on historical and current data and may not fully reflect future market conditions or unexpected developments. Neither the creators of this report nor its affiliated entities guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information presented. Use this report at your own discretion and risk.

Date of analysis: Nov 05, 2026