Duke Energy Q3 Earnings Beat Estimates, Revenues Rise Y/Y

Core Insights - Duke Energy Corporation (DUK) reported third-quarter 2025 earnings of $1.81 per share, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.74 by 4% and reflecting an 11.7% increase from $1.62 in the same quarter last year [1][9] DUK's Total Revenues - Total operating revenues reached $8.54 billion, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $8.42 billion by 1.4% and showing a 4.7% increase from $8.15 billion in the prior year [2][9] Highlights of DUK's Earnings Release - Total operating expenses were $6.23 billion, up 3.4% year over year, driven by higher costs in natural gas, operations, maintenance, depreciation, and property taxes [3] - Operating income increased by 8.9% to $2.33 billion from $2.14 billion in the previous year [3] Interest Expenses and Customer Growth - Interest expenses rose to $902 million from $872 million in the third quarter of 2024 [4] - The average number of customers in Electric Utilities increased by 1.4% year over year, with total electric sales volumes rising by 0.2% to 72,880 gigawatt-hours [4] DUK's Segmental Highlights - Electric Utilities & Infrastructure segment adjusted earnings totaled $1.66 billion, up from $1.46 billion in the third quarter of 2024 [5] - Gas Utilities & Infrastructure segment reported an adjusted loss of $26 million, compared to a loss of $22 million in the same quarter last year [5] Other Segment Performance - The other segment, which includes corporate interest expenses, incurred a loss of $225 million, compared to a loss of $206 million in the third quarter of 2024 [6] Financial Condition of DUK - As of September 30, 2025, cash and cash equivalents were $688 million, up from $314 million as of December 31, 2024 [7] - Long-term debt increased to $79.3 billion from $76.34 billion as of December 31, 2024 [7] - Net cash from operating activities for the first nine months of 2025 was $8.67 billion, down from $8.95 billion a year ago [7] 2025 Guidance by DUK - DUK now expects 2025 adjusted EPS in the range of $6.25-$6.35, narrowing from the previous forecast of $6.17-$6.42 [10] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2025 earnings is $6.33, which is higher than the midpoint of the company's projected range [10] - DUK continues to project long-term EPS growth of 5-7% through 2029 [10] DUK's Zacks Rank - Duke Energy currently holds a Zacks Rank 2 (Buy) [11]