Has Duke Energy (DUK) Outpaced Other Utilities Stocks This Year?

For those looking to find strong Utilities stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Is Duke Energy (DUK) one of those stocks right now? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.

Duke Energy is a member of our Utilities group, which includes 111 different companies and currently sits at #14 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different groups, measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the sector to gauge the strength of each group.

The Zacks Rank is a proven system that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions, highlighting a variety of stocks that are displaying the right characteristics to beat the market over the next one to three months. Duke Energy is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for DUK's full-year earnings has moved 0.1% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.

Based on the most recent data, DUK has returned 6.9% so far this year. In comparison, Utilities companies have returned an average of 6.2%. This means that Duke Energy is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

Another Utilities stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is PG&E (PCG). The stock has returned 6.9% year-to-date.

The consensus estimate for PG&E's current year EPS has increased 0.2% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Breaking things down more, Duke Energy is a member of the Utility - Electric Power industry, which includes 63 individual companies and currently sits at #106 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 7.7% so far this year, so DUK is slightly underperforming its industry in this area. PG&E is also part of the same industry.

Investors interested in the Utilities sector may want to keep a close eye on Duke Energy and PG&E as they attempt to continue their solid performance.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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