The latest trading session saw Duke Energy (DUK) ending at $121.07, denoting a -0.74% adjustment from its last day's close. The stock's change was less than the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.38%. Meanwhile, the Dow lost 0.03%, and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, added 0.87%.

Coming into today, shares of the electric utility had gained 2.78% in the past month. In that same time, the Utilities sector gained 1.62%, while the S&P 500 lost 5.59%.

The investment community will be closely monitoring the performance of Duke Energy in its forthcoming earnings report. On that day, Duke Energy is projected to report earnings of $1.60 per share, which would represent year-over-year growth of 11.11%. At the same time, our most recent consensus estimate is projecting a revenue of $7.98 billion, reflecting a 4% rise from the equivalent quarter last year.

For the entire fiscal year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $6.32 per share and a revenue of $31.72 billion, representing changes of +7.12% and +4.48%, respectively, from the prior year.

Investors might also notice recent changes to analyst estimates for Duke Energy. These revisions typically reflect the latest short-term business trends, which can change frequently. With this in mind, we can consider positive estimate revisions a sign of optimism about the company's business outlook.

Empirical research indicates that these revisions in estimates have a direct correlation with impending 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, spanning from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), boasts an impressive track record of outperformance, audited externally, with #1 ranked stocks yielding an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, there's been a 0.07% fall in the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate. Duke Energy is holding a Zacks Rank of #4 (Sell) right now.

With respect to valuation, Duke Energy is currently being traded at a Forward P/E ratio of 19.29. This signifies a premium in comparison to the average Forward P/E of 18.59 for its industry.

We can additionally observe that DUK currently boasts a PEG ratio of 3.05. Comparable to the widely accepted P/E ratio, the PEG ratio also accounts for the company's projected earnings growth. By the end of yesterday's trading, the Utility - Electric Power industry had an average PEG ratio of 2.79.

The Utility - Electric Power industry is part of the Utilities sector. With its current Zacks Industry Rank of 58, this industry ranks in the top 24% of all industries, numbering over 250.

The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our individual industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the 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