Advertisement
DUK vs PNW
Which Stock Would AI Choose? Duke Energy (DUK) vs. Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) Stock Comparison
1) Key Takeaways
- DUK (Duke Energy) is a large, diversified regulated utility with electric and natural gas operations across the Southeast and Midwest; PNW (Pinnacle West Capital) is a smaller, single-state utility anchored by Arizona Public Service.
- Both companies project 5–7% long-term earnings growth and carry similar analyst ratings, but Duke Energy offers significantly more scale and geographic diversification.
- Duke Energy is benefiting from exceptional data center demand, having signed roughly 7.6 gigawatts of new agreements since 2024.
- Pinnacle West is leveraging Arizona's rapid population and industrial growth, with retail electricity sales expected to rise 4–6% in 2026.
- Recent market activity shows Pinnacle West outperforming year-to-date but cooling over the past month, while Duke Energy has traded near recent highs after a strong quarter.
2) Introduction
Both DUK and PNW sit within the regulated electric utility sector, yet they represent two distinct profiles for investors. Duke Energy is one of the largest energy holding companies in the United States, while Pinnacle West Capital is a focused regional operator serving a fast-growing Arizona economy. This stock comparison is relevant for income-oriented investors evaluating dividend stability, as well as traders assessing relative performance and market positioning amid rising electricity demand. Understanding the contrast between a diversified multi-state utility and a concentrated growth-market operator can help clarify which profile aligns with a given strategy or risk tolerance.
3) DUK Overview and Recent Performance
Duke Energy, headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, is a diversified energy holding company serving millions of electric and natural gas customers across the Southeast and Midwest. Its regulated utilities own roughly 51,000 megawatts (MW) of generating capacity, and the company also operates a natural gas distribution business.
In recent weeks, Duke Energy reported first-quarter results that exceeded analyst expectations, with adjusted earnings per share (EPS, a measure of profit divided by shares outstanding) of $1.93 and revenue of approximately $9.18 billion. Management reaffirmed full-year 2026 guidance of $6.55 to $6.80 per share and reiterated a 5–7% long-term EPS growth target through 2030. Sentiment has been shaped by strong demand from data centers, with the company citing signed agreements for 7.6 gigawatts (GW, equivalent to one billion watts) of new data center load since 2024 and advanced discussions on additional capacity. Shares have traded near recent highs, supported by a long dividend-growth streak and constructive analyst coverage.
4) PNW Overview and Recent Performance
Pinnacle West Capital, based in Phoenix, Arizona, operates primarily through its subsidiary Arizona Public Service (APS), which provides retail electricity to roughly 1.5 million Arizona homes and businesses. The company manages about 6,200 MW of generating capacity and has consolidated assets of approximately $32.6 billion.
In recent market activity, Pinnacle West posted a return to profitability in the first quarter, reporting EPS of $0.27 compared with a small loss a year earlier, driven by customer growth of about 2.2% and hotter-than-normal weather. More recently, second-quarter profit declined year over year, though revenue rose, and the company reaffirmed its full-year 2026 guidance of $4.55 to $4.75 per share on a weather-normalized basis. Pinnacle West has been investing heavily, planning roughly $2.60 billion of capital spending in 2026 and $7.95 billion over the 2026–2028 period, and has highlighted a backlog of customer interconnection requests that signals further growth potential.
5) Trending AI Robots
Tickeron operates hundreds of AI trading bots covering thousands of tickers, but only a select group earns placement in the curated Trending AI Robots section. Each bot uses its own trading style, strategy, timeframe, performance record, and basket of tickers, meaning suitability varies with changing market conditions. The bots featured in this section are those currently best aligned with prevailing market dynamics, offering traders a way to screen for momentum, trend-following, or mean-reversion strategies across equities like DUK and PNW. Explore the Trending AI Robots page to review current performance statistics and identify the strategies most relevant to your watchlist.
6) Head-to-Head Comparison
The most fundamental contrast between these two names is scale and diversification. Duke Energy operates across multiple states and two energy segments, which spreads regulatory and weather risk across a broader base. Pinnacle West is concentrated in Arizona, giving it more concentrated exposure to that state's regulatory environment and climate but also direct leverage to one of the fastest-growing populations and electricity markets in the country.
On growth drivers, both companies cite data centers and industrial electrification as catalysts, but Duke Energy's signed data center pipeline is considerably larger in absolute terms. Pinnacle West counters with strong customer growth of 1.5–2.5% and expected retail sales growth of 4–6% in 2026. On relative performance, Pinnacle West has posted a stronger year-to-date return, though recent weeks have shown some cooling, while Duke Energy has traded more steadily near its recent highs.
Risk profiles also differ. Duke Energy carries a substantially larger debt load consistent with its size, while Pinnacle West faces regulatory lag and reliance on fossil-fuel generation as it transitions its fleet, including a planned conversion of retired coal units at its Cholla plant to natural gas. Both maintain quarterly dividends and long-term EPS growth targets in the same 5–7% range.
7) Tickeron AI Verdict
Based on observable factors, Tickeron's AI would likely lean toward Duke Energy as the more favorable current candidate. The company's consistent trend stability, diversified revenue base, reaffirmed guidance, and visible data center demand provide a steadier foundation for trend-following signals. While Pinnacle West offers compelling growth exposure to the Arizona market and a stronger year-to-date advance, its recent momentum has softened and its single-state concentration introduces comparatively higher regulatory concentration. The verdict is probabilistic rather than definitive: the AI would favor Duke Energy on relative stability and catalyst visibility, while recognizing Pinnacle West as a higher-beta play on regional growth.
8) Disclaimer
The information on this webpage is provided for general informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as investment advice, a recommendation to purchase or sell any security, or an offer or solicitation related to investments. It does not consider your personal financial situation, goals, or risk profile, and all investing carries inherent risks, including the possibility of losing your entire investment. For more details, please review our full disclaimer.
To compare these two companies we present long-term analysis, their fundamental ratings and make comparative short-term technical analysis which are presented below. The conclusion is DUK is a Buy and PNW is a StrongBuy.
DUK | PNW | ||
|---|---|---|---|
OUTLOOK RATING 1..100 | 50 | 22 | |
VALUATION overvalued / fair valued / undervalued 1..100 | 27 Undervalued | 72 Overvalued | |
PROFIT vs RISK RATING 1..100 | 35 | 16 | |
SMR RATING 1..100 | 70 | 73 | |
PRICE GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 59 | 52 | |
P/E GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 58 | 40 | |
SEASONALITY SCORE 1..100 | 50 | 65 |
Tickeron ratings are formulated such that a rating of 1 designates the most successful stocks in a given industry, while a rating of 100 points to the least successful stocks for that industry.
DUK's Valuation (27) in the Electric Utilities industry is somewhat better than the same rating for PNW (72). This means that DUK’s stock grew somewhat faster than PNW’s over the last 12 months.
PNW's Profit vs Risk Rating (16) in the Electric Utilities industry is in the same range as DUK (35). This means that PNW’s stock grew similarly to DUK’s over the last 12 months.
DUK's SMR Rating (70) in the Electric Utilities industry is in the same range as PNW (73). This means that DUK’s stock grew similarly to PNW’s over the last 12 months.
PNW's Price Growth Rating (52) in the Electric Utilities industry is in the same range as DUK (59). This means that PNW’s stock grew similarly to DUK’s over the last 12 months.
PNW's P/E Growth Rating (40) in the Electric Utilities industry is in the same range as DUK (58). This means that PNW’s stock grew similarly to DUK’s over the last 12 months.
| DUK | PNW | |
|---|---|---|
| RSI ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 44% | 1 day ago 47% |
| Stochastic ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 33% | 1 day ago 41% |
| Momentum ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 51% | 1 day ago 60% |
| MACD ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 48% | 1 day ago 53% |
| TrendWeek ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 49% | 1 day ago 50% |
| TrendMonth ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 40% | 1 day ago 47% |
| Advances ODDS (%) | 14 days ago 50% | 1 day ago 53% |
| Declines ODDS (%) | 12 days ago 41% | 19 days ago 46% |
| BollingerBands ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 48% | 1 day ago 38% |
| Aroon ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 29% | 1 day ago 36% |
Long-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a long-term outlook for a ticker by using Fundamental Analysis (FA) ratings. The rating of 1 to 100, where 1 is best and 100 is worst, is divided into thirds. The first third (a green rating of 1-33) indicates that the ticker is undervalued; the second third (a grey number between 34 and 66) means that the ticker is valued fairly; and the last third (red number of 67 to 100) reflects that the ticker is overvalued. We use an FA Score to show how many ratings show the ticker to be undervalued (green) or overvalued (red).
DUK’s FA Score shows that 2 FA rating(s) are green while PNW’s FA Score has 1 green FA rating(s).
- DUK’s FA Score: 2 green, 3 red.
- PNW’s FA Score: 1 green, 4 red.
Short-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a short-term outlook for a ticker by using Technical Analysis (TA) indicators. We use Odds of Success as the percentage of outcomes which confirm successful trade signals in the past.
If the Odds of Success (the likelihood of the continuation of a trend) for each indicator are greater than 50%, then the generated signal is confirmed. A green percentage from 90% to 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bullish trend. A red percentage from 90% - 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bearish trend. All grey percentages are below 50% and are considered not to confirm the trend signal.
DUK’s TA Score shows that 4 TA indicator(s) are bullish while PNW’s TA Score has 4 bullish TA indicator(s).
- DUK’s TA Score: 4 bullish, 5 bearish.
- PNW’s TA Score: 4 bullish, 6 bearish.
Price Growth
DUK (@Electric Utilities) experienced а +3.38% price change this week, while PNW (@Electric Utilities) price change was +4.12% for the same time period.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Electric Utilities industry was +1.69%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was -2.99%, and the average quarterly price growth was -11.68%.
Reported Earning Dates
DUK is expected to report earnings on Nov 05, 2026.
PNW is expected to report earnings on Nov 03, 2026.
Industries' Descriptions
@Electric Utilities (+1.69% weekly)Electric utilities companies generate, transmit and distribute electricity to businesses/offices and residences. Companies may be owned by the government or investors or public shareholders, or a combination thereof. The industry also includes firms that buy and sell electricity. Companies in this industry typically require significant investments in infrastructure. Many firms in this industry pay substantial and regular dividends to shareholders. However, changes in interest rates (and their impact on debt burdens), natural disasters and changing commodity prices could be factors affecting energy utilities’ profit margins. NextEra Energy, Inc., Duke Energy Corporation, Dominion Energy Inc. and Southern Company are among U.S. electric utilities companies with the largest market capitalizations.
Advertisement
DUK and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, DUK has been closely correlated with SO. These tickers have moved in lockstep 85% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is a high statistical probability that if DUK jumps, then SO could also see price increases.