AEP vs. DUK: American Electric Power vs. Duke Energy Stock Comparison

June 25, 2026

How do American Electric Power (AEP) and Duke Energy (DUK) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

American Electric Power (AEP) and Duke Energy (DUK) are both classified in the Electric Utilities sub-industry within the broader Electric Utilities industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Company profile comparison for American Electric Power (AEP) and Duke Energy (DUK)
Profile Item	AEP	DUK
Name	American Electric Power Company, Inc.	Duke Energy Corporation
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Utilities	Utilities
GICS Industry Group	Utilities	Utilities
GICS Industry	Electric Utilities	Electric Utilities
GICS Sub-Industry	Electric Utilities	Electric Utilities
Market Capitalization	73.43 billion USD	98.64 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	NYSE
Listing Date	January 2, 1962	March 17, 1980
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Performance

Cumulative Growth

AEP

DUK

American Electric Power (AEP) vs. Duke Energy (DUK): Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

Loading price history…

Trailing total returns for American Electric Power (AEP) and Duke Energy (DUK). Returns over one year are annualized.

Performance at a Glance

Performance metrics for American Electric Power (AEP) and Duke Energy (DUK)
Metric	AEP	DUK
Total Return (1Y)	34.81%	11.97%

Risk

Drawdown

AEP

DUK

American Electric Power (AEP) vs. Duke Energy (DUK): Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Risk at a Glance

Risk metrics for American Electric Power (AEP) and Duke Energy (DUK)
Metric	AEP	DUK
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	18.56%	14.81%
Beta (5Y)	0.51	0.38
Avg. Volume (3M)	4.18M	3.39M

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

American Electric Power (AEP) at 12.59% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Duke Energy (DUK) at 9.66% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for AEP.

AEP

Utilities industry group

12.59%

Max: 16.11%
AEP: 12.59%
Q3: 11.15%
Median: 9.46%
Q1: 7.50%
Min: 2.67%

DUK

Utilities industry group

9.66%

Max: 16.11%
Q3: 11.15%
DUK: 9.66%
Median: 9.46%
Q1: 7.50%
Min: 2.67%

American Electric Power (AEP) vs. Duke Energy (DUK): A comparison of their ROE against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both American Electric Power (AEP) at 16.29% and Duke Energy (DUK) at 15.71% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

AEP

Utilities industry group

16.29%

Max: 29.37%
Q3: 17.31%
AEP: 16.29%
Median: 12.55%
Q1: 9.24%
Min: -0.65%

DUK

Utilities industry group

15.71%

Max: 29.37%
Q3: 17.31%
DUK: 15.71%
Median: 12.55%
Q1: 9.24%
Min: -0.65%

American Electric Power (AEP) vs. Duke Energy (DUK): A comparison of their net margin against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both American Electric Power (AEP) at 23.74% and Duke Energy (DUK) at 25.51% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

AEP

Utilities industry group

23.74%

Max: 43.52%
Q3: 30.09%
AEP: 23.74%
Median: 23.50%
Q1: 16.61%
Min: 0.00%

DUK

Utilities industry group

25.51%

Max: 43.52%
Q3: 30.09%
DUK: 25.51%
Median: 23.50%
Q1: 16.61%
Min: 0.00%

American Electric Power (AEP) vs. Duke Energy (DUK): A comparison of their operating margin against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Profitability at a Glance

Profitability metrics for American Electric Power (AEP) and Duke Energy (DUK)
Metric	AEP	DUK
ROE (TTM)	12.59%	9.66%
ROA (TTM)	3.17%	2.78%
Net Margin (TTM)	16.29%	15.71%
Operating Margin (TTM)	23.74%	25.51%
Gross Margin (TTM)	47.24%	51.05%

Growth

Revenue Growth

American Electric Power (AEP) vs. Duke Energy (DUK): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

Revenue Growth at a Glance

Revenue growth metrics for American Electric Power (AEP) and Duke Energy (DUK)
Metric	AEP	DUK
Revenue Growth (YoY)	10.93%	6.19%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	3.66%	3.87%

EPS Growth

American Electric Power (AEP) vs. Duke Energy (DUK): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth at a Glance

EPS growth metrics for American Electric Power (AEP) and Duke Energy (DUK)
Metric	AEP	DUK
EPS Growth (YoY)	19.35%	10.51%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	14.04%	23.75%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Duke Energy (DUK) at 0.66 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while American Electric Power (AEP) at 0.53 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for AEP.

AEP

Utilities industry group

0.53

Max: 1.88
Q3: 1.16
Median: 0.90
Q1: 0.65
AEP: 0.53
Min: 0.33

DUK

Utilities industry group

0.66

Max: 1.88
Q3: 1.16
Median: 0.90
DUK: 0.66
Q1: 0.65
Min: 0.33

American Electric Power (AEP) vs. Duke Energy (DUK): A comparison of their current ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both American Electric Power (AEP) at 1.57 and Duke Energy (DUK) at 1.61 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

AEP

Utilities industry group

1.57

Max: 3.02
Q3: 1.81
AEP: 1.57
Median: 1.34
Q1: 0.85
Min: 0.00

DUK

Utilities industry group

1.61

Max: 3.02
Q3: 1.81
DUK: 1.61
Median: 1.34
Q1: 0.85
Min: 0.00

American Electric Power (AEP) vs. Duke Energy (DUK): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength at a Glance

Financial strength metrics for American Electric Power (AEP) and Duke Energy (DUK)
Metric	AEP	DUK
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.53	0.66
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.57	1.61
Net Debt / EBITDA	5.61	5.41

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both American Electric Power (AEP) at 2.81% and Duke Energy (DUK) at 3.39% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

AEP

Utilities industry group

2.81%

Max: 6.04%
Q3: 3.84%
Median: 2.98%
AEP: 2.81%
Q1: 1.88%
Min: 0.00%

DUK

Utilities industry group

3.39%

Max: 6.04%
Q3: 3.84%
DUK: 3.39%
Median: 2.98%
Q1: 1.88%
Min: 0.00%

American Electric Power (AEP) vs. Duke Energy (DUK): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both American Electric Power (AEP) at 55.62% and Duke Energy (DUK) at 65.23% keep payout ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges — dividend policies that share earnings without consuming too much of them.

AEP

Utilities industry group

55.62%

Max: 116.67%
Q3: 73.40%
Median: 58.69%
AEP: 55.62%
Q1: 36.87%
Min: 0.00%

DUK

Utilities industry group

65.23%

Max: 116.67%
Q3: 73.40%
DUK: 65.23%
Median: 58.69%
Q1: 36.87%
Min: 0.00%

American Electric Power (AEP) vs. Duke Energy (DUK): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Dividends at a Glance

Dividend metrics for American Electric Power (AEP) and Duke Energy (DUK)
Metric	AEP	DUK
Dividend Yield (TTM)	2.81%	3.39%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	55.62%	65.23%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both American Electric Power (AEP) at 19.96 and Duke Energy (DUK) at 19.47 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

AEP

Utilities industry group

19.96

Max: 31.16
Q3: 23.44
AEP: 19.96
Median: 19.73
Q1: 15.82
Min: 4.91

DUK

Utilities industry group

19.47

Max: 31.16
Q3: 23.44
Median: 19.73
DUK: 19.47
Q1: 15.82
Min: 4.91

American Electric Power (AEP) vs. Duke Energy (DUK): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both American Electric Power (AEP) at 3.27 and Duke Energy (DUK) at 3.01 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

AEP

Utilities industry group

3.27

Max: 6.04
Q3: 3.54
AEP: 3.27
Median: 2.65
Q1: 1.61
Min: 0.00

DUK

Utilities industry group

3.01

Max: 6.04
Q3: 3.54
DUK: 3.01
Median: 2.65
Q1: 1.61
Min: 0.00

American Electric Power (AEP) vs. Duke Energy (DUK): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both American Electric Power (AEP) at 2.31 and Duke Energy (DUK) at 1.84 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

AEP

Utilities industry group

2.31

Max: 3.85
Q3: 2.41
AEP: 2.31
Median: 1.89
Q1: 1.41
Min: 0.34

DUK

Utilities industry group

1.84

Max: 3.85
Q3: 2.41
Median: 1.89
DUK: 1.84
Q1: 1.41
Min: 0.34

American Electric Power (AEP) vs. Duke Energy (DUK): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Valuation at a Glance

Valuation metrics for American Electric Power (AEP) and Duke Energy (DUK)
Metric	AEP	DUK
P/E Ratio (TTM)	19.96	19.47
P/S Ratio (TTM)	3.27	3.01
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	2.31	1.84
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	-9.47%	-2.28%