Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) Releases Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.01 EPS

Posted by Latisha Jones on Feb 11th, 2026

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK – Get Free Report) released its earnings results on Tuesday. The utilities provider reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.01, FiscalAI reports. The firm had revenue of $7.94 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.57 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.76% and a return on equity of 9.98%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.66 EPS. Duke Energy updated its FY 2026 guidance to 6.550-6.800 EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from Duke Energy’s conference call:

2025 EPS of $6.31 (+7% YoY) with 2026 guidance of $6.55–$6.80, and management extended its 5%–7% long‑term EPS growth target through 2030 while targeting the top half (6%–7%) beginning in 2028.
Five‑year capital plan increased by $16 billion to $103 billion, funding ~14 GW of incremental generation over five years (including ~5 GW gas and ~4.5 GW battery additions through 2031) and underpinning a projected 9.6% earnings‑based growth rate.
Duke has signed about 4.5 GW of data center electric service agreements (1.5 GW since Q3) with a ~9 GW late‑stage pipeline, and contracts include minimum billing, termination charges and curtailment provisions that management says increase confidence in the load and revenue ramp.
Balance sheet improved after recovering/securitizing roughly $3 billion of storm costs, reaching 14.8% FFO/debt in 2025 (guiding ~14.5% for 2026) and planning ~$10 billion of equity issuances (2027–2030) plus Brookfield/Spire transactions to strengthen credit.
Management highlighted constructive regulatory tools (multi‑year rate plans, CWIP, securitization) and a proposed Carolinas utility combination (claimed >$1B customer savings through 2038), but pending North Carolina rate cases and heightened political focus on affordability remain execution and regulatory risks.

Duke Energy Price Performance

NYSE DUK opened at $123.75 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a current ratio of 0.63 and a quick ratio of 0.40. Duke Energy has a 1-year low of $110.51 and a 1-year high of $130.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $96.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.46, a PEG ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.51. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $118.14 and its 200-day moving average price is $121.67.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th will be given a dividend of $1.065 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.4%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 66.98%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have weighed in on DUK. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $143.00 to $140.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 23rd. TD Cowen assumed coverage on Duke Energy in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $143.00 price target on the stock. Barclays reduced their price objective on Duke Energy from $135.00 to $127.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “underperform” rating and issued a $130.00 target price on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $141.00 target price on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $133.88.

Read Our Latest Report on DUK

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Duke Energy news, EVP Robert Alexander Glenn sold 8,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.80, for a total transaction of $1,015,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 11,367 shares in the company, valued at $1,407,234.60. The trade was a 41.91% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Duke Energy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 31,238 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,686,000 after buying an additional 315 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 11.6% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,754 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $728,000 after acquiring an additional 700 shares in the last quarter. MGB Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the second quarter worth about $231,000. Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 13.0% during the third quarter. Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. now owns 2,066 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $256,000 after purchasing an additional 238 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $257,000. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy News Roundup

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

Positive Sentiment: Company raised its long‑term outlook and expanded a record capital plan to ~$103 billion to 2030, supporting 5%–7% EPS growth through 2030 and funding substantial generation and grid investment. Duke Energy projects 5%–7% EPS growth through 2030 while expanding $103B capital plan
Positive Sentiment: New commercial wins: Duke signed ~1.5 GW of new data‑center deals in Q4, lifting its data‑center pipeline to ~4.5 GW — a major demand driver for future electricity sales and grid upgrades. Duke Energy signed 1.5 GW of new data center deals in Q4, lifting total pipeline to 4.5 GW
Positive Sentiment: Q4 revenue beat: revenue rose to $7.94B (above estimates) and management reiterated FY2026 EPS guidance (6.55–6.80), while forecasting stronger 2026 profit on elevated power demand. These top‑line beats and guidance underpin the constructive tone. Duke Energy forecasts higher 2026 profit on strong power demand
Neutral Sentiment: Management and earnings call transcripts are available and provide detail on capital allocation, data‑center contracts (including names mentioned) and regulatory timing for projects — useful for modeling capex and rate recovery. Duke Energy Corporation (DUK) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Neutral Sentiment: Operational resilience: Duke highlighted grid improvements (smart/self‑healing tech) that reduced extended outages and points to reliability investments that support customer retention and regulatory cases. Duke Energy’s Smart, Self-Healing Technology Avoids More Than 280,000 Extended Power Outages for Florida Customers in 2025
Negative Sentiment: Local regulatory/customer risk: St. Petersburg has launched a study to explore a municipal electric utility as its Duke contract nears expiration — a reminder that localized load loss and political risk can surface. St. Petersburg to study municipal electric utility as Duke Energy contract nears expiration
Negative Sentiment: Earnings nuance: headline EPS was roughly flat to slightly below some estimates (reports vary between narrowly beating and missing by a penny), and last year’s EPS was higher — signaling near‑term margin pressure from costs even as revenue grows. Duke Energy (DUK) Q4 Earnings Miss Estimates

Duke Energy Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.