Duke Energy (DUK) stock: Winston Score and insider trades

§Winston Score History

Duke Energy is one of the largest electric and natural gas utility companies in the United States. It generates electricity using a mix of natural gas, nuclear, coal, and renewable energy sources like wind and solar, then delivers that power through its network of power lines and pipes. The company serves roughly 8 million electric customers and 1.6 million gas customers, mostly households and businesses across the Southeast and Midwest.

Duke makes money by charging customers for electricity and gas delivery, with rates set and approved by state regulators — meaning it cannot simply raise prices on its own. It operates primarily in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky, and its regulated structure gives it stable, predictable revenue that most companies do not have. The key growth driver is rising electricity demand from data centers and electric vehicles, though its main risk is the high cost of upgrading aging infrastructure while keeping customer bills affordable under regulatory oversight.

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16 trades / 12mo

8 Congressional buys and 8 sells on DUK in the last 12 months.

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Growth Profile

For growth stock investors

When traditional metrics don't capture the full picture, these are the signals growth stock investors use instead.

Revenue Growth

+1.1% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Slow revenue growth

Reported EPS Growth

+10.4% YoY

Quarterly reporting periods ended:

30 Jun 2025: $1.25

30 Jun 2026: $1.38

Reported/statutory EPS, not adjusted or underlying earnings. One-off items can affect this figure. Provider rounding can affect the growth rate.

YoY Growth Rate

Reported EPS increased year over year

R&D Spend

$0/ year

0.0% of revenue

Below sector average (1%)

Research and development spending

Insider Activity

0.2%ownership

→ Flat

Insider ownership roughly steady over the past year

Cash Runway

~3 years

$14.6B cash & investments

Quarterly Free Cash Flow

↓ Burn rate worsening

$14.6B cash & investments at current burn rate

Growth context

Duke Energy Corporation is growing revenue at 1% year-over-year. The Winston Score measures business quality today — these growth metrics show what could matter tomorrow.

The Winston Score above measures business quality today. Growth stocks often score lower because they invest in the future rather than maximising current profits. These metrics show what matters most for evaluating that future.

Score breakdown

Every number that matters to educated investors.

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Quality

Profit per sale

Gross Margin

73.1%

Premium pricing power — 73.1% gross margin

Profit after running costs

Operating Margin

27.0%

Excellent — 27.0% operating margin

Return on the money invested

ROCE

6.3%

Weak — 6.3% return on capital

ROIC between 5% and 15%. They earn 5 to 15 cents back per year on every dollar invested.

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Growth

Sales growth

Sales YoY

+6.7%

Slow sales growth (+6.7% YoY)

Profit growth

EPS YoY

+8.8%

Earnings growing (+8.8% YoY)

Single-digit earnings growth — steady but not exciting.

How steady the profit is

EPS Consistency

6/8 quarters

Earnings grew in most of the last 8 quarters

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Cash Flow

Profit that turns into cash

Cash Conversion

220%

Turns 220% of profit into real cash

Spare cash per sale

FCF Margin

-12.8%

Burning cash (-12.8%)

Free cash flow is negative. They are burning cash, not generating it.

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Stability

What it owes vs what it owns

Debt / Equity

1.67

Elevated debt (1.67)

Covers its interest

Interest Cover

2.44x

Tight — interest eats into profit (2.4x)

Interest coverage between 1 and 3. Profits cover interest, but with little room to spare.

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Valuation

Price vs profit

P/E Ratio (TTM)

18.8x

Fair value — P/E 18.8

P/E in the normal range. Price is roughly $15 for every $1 of yearly profit.

Cheaper or dearer next year

P/E vs Forward

+3.4

GROWING

Earnings expected to grow meaningfully — cheaper on forward P/E (18.8 → 15.4)

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Dividends

Dividend

Dividend Yield

3.72%

Moderate income — 3.72% yield

Standard yield zone for stable dividend payers. A meaningful piece of total return.

Dividend record

Dividend Growth

+1.9%

Dividend flat

Payout Ratio

79%

no trend

Most of the profit goes out as dividends. Little left to reinvest, and less cushion if earnings dip.

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Duke Energy Corporation

§How the score breaks down

Share count rising — dilution

§Winston Score History

Politician Trades

Growth Profile

Every number that matters to educated investors.

Quality

Growth

Cash Flow

Stability

Valuation

Dividends