In the latest trading session, Duke Energy (DUK) closed at $108.28, marking a +1.12% move from the previous day. The stock's change was more than the S&P 500's daily gain of 1.09%. On the other hand, the Dow registered a gain of 1.18%, and the technology-centric Nasdaq increased by 1.03%.

Shares of the electric utility have depreciated by 6.77% over the course of the past month, outperforming the Utilities sector's loss of 7.05% and lagging the S&P 500's loss of 0.71%.

Analysts and investors alike will be keeping a close eye on the performance of Duke Energy in its upcoming earnings disclosure. The company's earnings per share (EPS) are projected to be $1.69, reflecting a 11.92% increase from the same quarter last year. Simultaneously, our latest consensus estimate expects the revenue to be $7.73 billion, showing a 7.23% escalation compared to the year-ago quarter.

Looking at the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates suggest analysts are expecting earnings of $5.95 per share and revenue of $30.58 billion. These totals would mark changes of +7.01% and +5.24%, respectively, from last year.

Furthermore, it would be beneficial for investors to monitor any recent shifts in analyst projections for Duke Energy. Such recent modifications usually signify the changing landscape of near-term business trends. As a result, we can interpret positive estimate revisions as a good sign for the company's business outlook.

Our research reveals that these estimate alterations are directly linked with the stock price performance in the near future. To utilize this, we have created the Zacks Rank, a proprietary model that integrates these estimate changes and provides a functional rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, running from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), holds an admirable track record of superior performance, independently audited, with #1 stocks contributing an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.4% lower. Duke Energy presently features a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

Looking at its valuation, Duke Energy is holding a Forward P/E ratio of 18.01. For comparison, its industry has an average Forward P/E of 16.23, which means Duke Energy is trading at a premium to the group.

Also, we should mention that DUK has a PEG ratio of 2.83. The PEG ratio is akin to the commonly utilized P/E ratio, but this measure also incorporates the company's anticipated earnings growth rate. As of the close of trade yesterday, the Utility - Electric Power industry held an average PEG ratio of 2.54.

The Utility - Electric Power industry is part of the Utilities sector. Currently, this industry holds a Zacks Industry Rank of 80, positioning it in the top 32% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank assesses the strength of our separate industry groups by calculating the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks contained within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Don't forget to use Zacks.com to keep track of all these stock-moving metrics, and others, in the upcoming trading sessions.

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