Financial Stability = Sustainability
In 2014, the company achieved adjusted diluted earnings per share of $4.55, which was within the company’s $4.50 to $4.65 earnings guidance to Wall Street.
One of Duke Energy’s primary goals as a sustainable company is delivering attractive returns for its investors. As part of those efforts, the company increased its quarterly dividend by about 1.9 percent in 2014, the 88th consecutive year the company has paid a quarterly dividend on its common stock.
Duke Energy’s total shareholder return – the change in stock price plus dividends – for 2014 was approximately 26.4 percent. This was below the approximately 28.9 percent return of the Philadelphia Utility Index (20 U.S. utilities) during the same period. However, Duke Energy outperformed the S&P 500’s total shareholder return of approximately 13.7 percent.
The company’s balance sheet and credit ratings remain strong, allowing Duke Energy to invest in its business without the need for new equity issuances through 2017.
Duke Energy remains on track to achieve long-term average annual growth in adjusted diluted earnings per share of between 4 to 6 percent from a 2013 base through 2017.
