Duke Energy (DUK) closed the most recent trading day at $116.31, moving +0.31% from the previous trading session. The stock lagged the S&P 500's daily gain of 9.52%. On the other hand, the Dow registered a gain of 7.87%, and the technology-centric Nasdaq increased by 12.16%.

Shares of the electric utility have depreciated by 1.49% over the course of the past month, outperforming the Utilities sector's loss of 4.41% and the S&P 500's loss of 13.47%.

Analysts and investors alike will be keeping a close eye on the performance of Duke Energy in its upcoming earnings disclosure. The company's upcoming EPS is projected at $1.60, signifying a 11.11% increase compared to the same quarter of the previous year. Meanwhile, our latest consensus estimate is calling for revenue of $7.98 billion, up 4% from the prior-year quarter.

In terms of the entire fiscal year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates predict earnings of $6.32 per share and a revenue of $31.72 billion, indicating changes of +7.12% and +4.48%, respectively, from the former year.

Investors should also pay attention to any latest changes in analyst estimates for Duke Energy. Such recent modifications usually signify the changing landscape of near-term business trends. Hence, positive alterations in estimates signify analyst optimism regarding the company's business and profitability.

Our research demonstrates that these adjustments in estimates directly associate with imminent stock price performance. To take advantage of this, we've established the Zacks Rank, an exclusive model that considers these estimated changes and delivers an operational rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, ranging from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), possesses a remarkable history of outdoing, externally audited, with #1 stocks returning an average annual gain of +25% since 1988. Within the past 30 days, our consensus EPS projection has moved 0.02% lower. At present, Duke Energy boasts a Zacks Rank of #4 (Sell).

In terms of valuation, Duke Energy is currently trading at a Forward P/E ratio of 18.34. Its industry sports an average Forward P/E of 17.29, so one might conclude that Duke Energy is trading at a premium comparatively.

One should further note that DUK currently holds a PEG ratio of 2.9. The PEG ratio is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but this metric also takes the company's expected earnings growth rate into account. DUK's industry had an average PEG ratio of 2.63 as of yesterday's close.

The Utility - Electric Power industry is part of the Utilities sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 58, putting it in the top 24% of all 250+ industries.

The strength of our individual industry groups is measured by the Zacks Industry Rank, which is calculated based on the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within these groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Ensure to harness Zacks.com to stay updated with all these stock-shifting metrics, among others, in the next trading sessions.

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report

Duke Energy Corporation (DUK) : Free Stock Analysis Report

This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

Zacks Investment Research