Duke Energy Corporation (DUK)

Financial leverage ratio

		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
Total assets	US$ in thousands	176,893,000	181,160,000	180,076,000	178,833,000	178,086,000	176,340,000	172,383,000	171,220,000	169,587,000	167,007,000	165,385,000	163,465,000	162,388,000	161,409,000	160,049,000	160,072,000	158,838,000	155,917,000	153,449,000	151,136,000
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
Financial leverage ratio		3.60	3.70	3.73	3.63	3.61	3.50	3.47	3.46	3.44	3.39	3.44	3.39	3.39	3.51	3.52	3.41	3.39	3.36	3.39	3.36

December 31, 2023 calculation

Financial leverage ratio = Total assets ÷ Total stockholders’ equity
= $176,893,000K ÷ $49,112,000K
= 3.60

The financial leverage ratio of Duke Energy Corp. has shown some fluctuations over the last eight quarters, ranging from 3.46 to 3.73. The ratio peaked at 3.73 in Q2 2023 and hit its lowest point at 3.46 in Q1 2022. Overall, the trend indicates that the company has experienced some variability in its level of financial leverage during this period. It is worth noting that a higher financial leverage ratio suggests that a company relies more on debt to finance its operations, which can potentially increase the risk for investors during economic downturns. Consequently, Duke Energy Corp. may be exposed to higher financial risk due to its comparatively higher financial leverage ratios observed in the recent quarters. Further analysis of the company's debt structure and repayment capabilities would provide a deeper understanding of its financial health.