AES vs. DUK: AES vs. Duke Energy Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do AES (AES) 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

AES (AES) and Duke Energy (DUK) both fall under the Utilities industry group, but AES is classified in Independent Power and Renewable Electricity Producers while DUK is classified in Electric Utilities.

Company profile comparison for AES (AES) and Duke Energy (DUK)
Profile Item	AES	DUK
Name	The AES Corporation	Duke Energy Corporation
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Utilities	Utilities
GICS Industry Group	Utilities	Utilities
GICS Industry	Independent Power and Renewable Electricity Producers	Electric Utilities
GICS Sub-Industry	Independent Power Producers & Energy Traders	Electric Utilities
Market Capitalization	10.61 billion USD	99.63 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	June 26, 1991	March 17, 1980
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

AES

DUK

GSPC

AES (AES) vs. Duke Energy (DUK), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for AES (AES) and Duke Energy (DUK). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for AES (AES) and Duke Energy (DUK). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for AES (AES) and Duke Energy (DUK)
Metric	AES	DUK
Total Return (1Y)	10.79%	7.39%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	3.44%	17.76%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-5.12%	8.82%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

AES

DUK

GSPC

AES (AES) vs. Duke Energy (DUK), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for AES (AES) and Duke Energy (DUK). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for AES (AES) and Duke Energy (DUK)
Metric	AES	DUK
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	25.19%	17.00%
Beta (5Y)	0.93	0.32
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-63.43%	-24.16%
Avg. Volume (3M)	8.50M	4.11M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

AES and DUK are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for AES (AES) and Duke Energy (DUK)
Metric	AES	DUK
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.26	0.18
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.33	0.27

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both AES (AES) at 8.68% and Duke Energy (DUK) at 10.10% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

AES

Utilities industry group

8.68%

Max: 17.99%
Q3: 12.01%
Median: 9.44%
AES: 8.68%
Q1: 7.56%
Min: 2.17%

DUK

Utilities industry group

10.10%

Max: 17.99%
Q3: 12.01%
DUK: 10.10%
Median: 9.44%
Q1: 7.56%
Min: 2.17%

AES (AES) vs. Duke Energy (DUK): A comparison of their ROE against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both AES (AES) at 13.16% and Duke Energy (DUK) at 16.16% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

AES

Utilities industry group

13.16%

Max: 28.78%
Q3: 17.30%
AES: 13.16%
Median: 12.73%
Q1: 9.18%
Min: -0.20%

DUK

Utilities industry group

16.16%

Max: 28.78%
Q3: 17.30%
DUK: 16.16%
Median: 12.73%
Q1: 9.18%
Min: -0.20%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both AES (AES) at 23.89% and Duke Energy (DUK) at 30.03% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

AES

Utilities industry group

23.89%

Max: 53.83%
Q3: 31.12%
AES: 23.89%
Median: 23.62%
Q1: 15.45%
Min: -4.90%

DUK

Utilities industry group

30.03%

Max: 53.83%
Q3: 31.12%
DUK: 30.03%
Median: 23.62%
Q1: 15.45%
Min: -4.90%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for AES (AES) and Duke Energy (DUK)
Metric	AES	DUK
ROE (TTM)	8.68%	10.10%
ROA (TTM)	3.13%	2.92%
Net Margin (TTM)	13.16%	16.16%
Operating Margin (TTM)	23.89%	30.03%
Gross Margin (TTM)	21.34%	52.58%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Duke Energy (DUK) at 6.19% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while AES (AES) at -0.37% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

AES (AES) vs. Duke Energy (DUK): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Duke Energy (DUK) at 10.51% is around its peer norm for EPS growth, while AES (AES) at -46.61% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker earnings momentum.

AES (AES) vs. Duke Energy (DUK): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for AES (AES) and Duke Energy (DUK)
Metric	AES	DUK
Revenue Growth (YoY)	-0.37%	6.19%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	-1.03%	3.87%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-46.61%	10.51%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	23.75%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both AES (AES) at 0.86 and Duke Energy (DUK) at 0.68 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

AES

Utilities industry group

0.86

Max: 1.90
Q3: 1.17
Median: 0.88
AES: 0.86
Q1: 0.66
Min: 0.29

DUK

Utilities industry group

0.68

Max: 1.90
Q3: 1.17
Median: 0.88
DUK: 0.68
Q1: 0.66
Min: 0.29

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Duke Energy (DUK) at 1.63 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while AES (AES) at 2.43 uses more debt funding than most peers.

AES

Utilities industry group

2.43

Max: 2.63
AES: 2.43
Q3: 1.77
Median: 1.35
Q1: 0.84
Min: 0.00

DUK

Utilities industry group

1.63

Max: 2.63
Q3: 1.77
DUK: 1.63
Median: 1.35
Q1: 0.84
Min: 0.00

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

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for AES (AES) and Duke Energy (DUK)
Metric	AES	DUK
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.86	0.68
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	2.43	1.63
Net Debt / EBITDA	7.28	5.38

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

AES (AES) at 4.73% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Duke Energy (DUK) at 3.29% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, AES the richer one.

AES

Utilities industry group

4.73%

Max: 6.66%
AES: 4.73%
Q3: 3.58%
Median: 2.85%
Q1: 0.66%
Min: 0.00%

DUK

Utilities industry group

3.29%

Max: 6.66%
Q3: 3.58%
DUK: 3.29%
Median: 2.85%
Q1: 0.66%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Duke Energy (DUK) at 62.76% keeps its payout within the industry’s typical band; AES (AES) at 28.27% pays out less than peers usually do, retaining more of its earnings — a policy difference more than a quality gap.

AES

Utilities industry group

28.27%

Max: 113.04%
Q3: 68.72%
Median: 56.38%
Q1: 32.38%
AES: 28.27%
Min: 0.00%

DUK

Utilities industry group

62.76%

Max: 113.04%
Q3: 68.72%
DUK: 62.76%
Median: 56.38%
Q1: 32.38%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for AES (AES) and Duke Energy (DUK)
Metric	AES	DUK
Dividend Yield (TTM)	4.73%	3.29%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	28.27%	62.76%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

AES (AES) at 5.97 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while Duke Energy (DUK) at 18.74 is closer to its industry’s usual earnings multiple — a discount for AES, though growth and earnings durability still matter.

AES

Utilities industry group

5.97

Max: 31.22
Q3: 23.30
Median: 19.64
Q1: 15.17
AES: 5.97
Min: 3.34

DUK

Utilities industry group

18.74

Max: 31.22
Q3: 23.30
Median: 19.64
DUK: 18.74
Q1: 15.17
Min: 3.34

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

AES (AES) at 0.78 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while Duke Energy (DUK) at 2.99 prices around its industry’s middle — AES costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

AES

Utilities industry group

0.78

Max: 6.35
Q3: 3.63
Median: 2.63
Q1: 1.52
AES: 0.78
Min: 0.00

DUK

Utilities industry group

2.99

Max: 6.35
Q3: 3.63
DUK: 2.99
Median: 2.63
Q1: 1.52
Min: 0.00

AES (AES) 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 AES (AES) at 1.86 and Duke Energy (DUK) at 1.83 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

AES

Utilities industry group

1.86

Max: 3.12
Q3: 2.21
AES: 1.86
Median: 1.83
Q1: 1.46
Min: 0.34

DUK

Utilities industry group

1.83

Max: 3.12
Q3: 2.21
DUK: 1.83
Median: 1.83
Q1: 1.46
Min: 0.34

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for AES (AES) and Duke Energy (DUK)
Metric	AES	DUK
P/E Ratio (TTM)	5.97	18.74
P/S Ratio (TTM)	0.78	2.99
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	1.86	1.83
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	-30.54%	-2.76%