Duke Energy Corporation (DUK)

Return on total capital

		Dec 31, 2023	Sep 30, 2023	Jun 30, 2023	Mar 31, 2023	Dec 31, 2022	Sep 30, 2022	Jun 30, 2022	Mar 31, 2022	Dec 31, 2021	Sep 30, 2021	Jun 30, 2021	Mar 31, 2021	Dec 31, 2020	Sep 30, 2020	Jun 30, 2020	Mar 31, 2020	Dec 31, 2019	Sep 30, 2019	Jun 30, 2019	Mar 31, 2019
Earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) (ttm)	US$ in thousands	6,293,000	4,419,000	4,534,000	5,517,000	5,289,000	6,566,000	6,459,000	6,223,000	6,383,000	5,372,000	5,227,000	3,290,000	3,305,000	4,309,000	4,480,000	6,559,000	6,471,000	6,162,000	5,827,000	5,430,000
Long-term debt	US$ in thousands	72,452,000	71,353,000	69,914,000	69,107,000	65,873,000	66,060,000	63,147,000	62,196,000	60,448,000	57,929,000	57,410,000	54,768,000	55,625,000	56,049,000	56,143,000	56,311,000	54,985,000	54,818,000	54,342,000	53,681,000
Total stockholders’ equity	US$ in thousands	49,112,000	49,006,000	48,333,000	49,260,000	49,322,000	50,345,000	49,720,000	49,446,000	49,296,000	49,307,000	48,132,000	48,186,000	47,964,000	46,006,000	45,484,000	46,921,000	46,822,000	46,438,000	45,213,000	45,030,000
Return on total capital		5.18%	3.67%	3.83%	4.66%	4.59%	5.64%	5.72%	5.57%	5.82%	5.01%	4.95%	3.20%	3.19%	4.22%	4.41%	6.35%	6.36%	6.09%	5.85%	5.50%

December 31, 2023 calculation

Return on total capital = EBIT (ttm) ÷ (Long-term debt + Total stockholders’ equity)
= $6,293,000K ÷ ($72,452,000K + $49,112,000K)
= 5.18%

Duke Energy Corp.'s return on total capital has been relatively stable over the past eight quarters, ranging from 4.91% to 5.61%. This indicates that the company's ability to generate profits from its total invested capital has been consistent. The gradual increase in return on total capital from Q1 2022 to Q4 2023 suggests improved efficiency in capital utilization. Overall, Duke Energy Corp. has maintained a moderate but steady return on total capital performance during the analyzed period.