Duke Energy Corp

Duke Energy posted a solid second-quarter beat on Tuesday, with adjusted earnings per share of $1.25 clearing the Wall Street consensus of $1.17 by 6.42%, while revenue of $7.51 billion edged past estimates and grew 4.7% year over year, reflecting steady demand across the utility's sprawling Carolinas, Florida, and Indiana service territories. The primary engine behind the outperformance was the implementation of new rates and riders across Duke's electric utility subsidiaries, which contributed $0.20 per share of favorable variance year over year, more than offsetting headwinds from higher O&M expenses and increased interest costs. The Electric Utilities and Infrastructure segment drove the bulk of consolidated results, with adjusted segment income climbing to $1.19 billion from $1.11 billion a year earlier. With broader utility sector tailwinds from surging electricity demand tied to AI infrastructure buildout reinforcing the investment case, management reaffirmed its 2025 adjusted EPS guidance range of $6.17 to $6.42 and a long-term EPS growth target of 5% to 7% through 2029, supported in part by recently announced transactions designed to strengthen the company's credit profile.