DUK: Hold
Published 16 Sep 2026, 07:02 BST. This is the frozen version, not the current recommendation.
Why this assessment was issued
The model version changed. The published model version has been replaced. Record the new calculation basis even if the rating is unchanged. Neither a positive nor a negative classification meets the stated requirements. Review price and return, downside balance, cash generation, borrowing, business evidence, earnings support.
Neither a positive nor a negative classification meets the stated requirements. Review price and return, downside balance, cash generation, borrowing, business evidence, earnings support.
Supporting evidence
Year-to-date profit has improved
Across 2 completed quarters since 2025-12-31, net income was 2,642.0m versus 2,363.0m in the matching prior-year periods (USD). Check whether the latest quarter changes that direction.
Borrowing is lower relative to earnings
Net debt / EBITDA: 5.3× for DUK, against 6.0× across 12 comparable peers.
Opposing evidence
Capital spending changes the cash picture
Operating cash covers 2.20 times profit, but cash after capital spending covers -1.59 times. Cash generation is stronger before the investment bill is paid.
The starting valuation is below the price
The central assumptions give $9.80 per share, -91.8% against the weekly close. This is a scenario to test, not an analyst price target.
The original scenarios
| Scenario | Sales growth | Profit margin | Model value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weaker | 4.1% | 13.7% | $103.85 |
| Central | 7.1% | 15.3% | $132.66 |
| Stronger | 10.1% | 16.8% | $165.92 |
Method: Earnings and historical valuation. A sufficiently complete, positive earnings record allows the stock's own P/E history to be used. These scenarios are not probability intervals.
Original assumptions and checks
| eps | 6.67 |
|---|---|
| cash | 673000000.0 |
| debt | 91238000000.0 |
| years | 1.1991786447638604 |
| growth | 7.084589718569701 |
| margin | 15.720406267789198 |
| profit | 5247000000.0 |
| cash_ok | False |
| debt_ok | False |
| growths | [6.315918567574186, 7.853260869565215, 11.261971148017945, 1.1188066062866264] |
| revenue | 33377000000.0 |
| downside | 13.03582802097707 |
| leverage | 5.335513137740073 |
| multiple | 18.884244372990352 |
| free_cash | -8362000000.0 |
| buy_hurdle | 15 |
| volatility | 16.694731023093908 |
| history_end | 2026-09-11 |
| reward_risk | 0.8503181930191626 |
| annual_years | 5 |
| usable_weeks | 157 |
| history_start | 2023-09-15 |
| history_weeks | 157 |
| financial_date | 2026-06-30 |
| interest_cover | 2.4455340577789557 |
| operating_cash | 11562000000.0 |
| uncapped_growth | 7.084589718569701 |
| current_multiple | 17.904047976011995 |
| projected_margin | 15.251806712697077 |
| historical_margin | 14.783207157604956 |
Recent price · Passed. Weekly close dated 2026-09-11.
Suitable business model · Passed. Capital spending and funding matter. Use operating cash flow with explicit reinvestment; this does not replace a regulated rate-base review.
Four quarters · Passed. Four quarters ending 2026-06-30.
Current financials · Passed. Statements through 2026-06-30; factor prices dated 2026-09-11.
Annual record · Passed. 5 consecutive annual profit margins, including loss years.
Comparable earnings history · Passed. P/E is usable in 157 of 157 weeks. At least 52 usable weeks and 70% coverage are required; excluding too many loss or missing weeks would bias the target.
Earnings and price dates · Passed. Earnings-release EPS $6.67, for four quarters ending 2026-06-30.
Price risk · Passed. Risk uses the latest 52 weekly price changes.
Comparable sales growth · Passed. Growth uses the median of four quarterly year-on-year comparisons.
Positive statement earnings · Passed. Trailing statement profit is positive.
Earnings reconciliation · Passed. Release EPS is $6.67; statement-derived EPS is $6.73. The difference is within the 5% review threshold; this does not prove there are no unusual items.
Statement totals · Passed. The latest four quarters agree with the trailing snapshot within 5%.
Cash and borrowing · Passed. Cash generation, debt and interest-cover figures are available.
Target publication review · Passed. The model estimate is within SM's automatic publication range of one quarter to four times the current price. This is a review threshold, not evidence that the market price is correct.
Policy sm-review-2-research · Model sm-assessment-13-assumption-review · Data 6854def4a9ec.