Home Compare AEP vs DUK
Stock Comparison · Industry comparison · Utilities - Regulated Electric

American Electric Power Company vs Duke Energy: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

The structural profiles are close, with American Electric Power Company carrying a narrow edge on profitability. Duke Energy still leads on growth and stability, which keeps the comparison from looking entirely one-sided. On the market side, American Electric Power Company is in better shape — its trend is intact while Duke Energy's trend has broken down. That puts structure and market broadly in agreement — American Electric Power Company's lead looks more confirmed than conflicted.

The comparison is based on similar long-term financial trajectories, not sector labels. Both peer scores are relative to the S&P 500 universe, making them directly comparable.

Updated 2026-05-17

The lead runs through profitability, while stability still acts as a real counterweight on the other side.

INDUSTRY COMPARISON

Both operate in: Utilities - Regulated Electric

This comparison is based on industry proximity, not on functional trajectory similarity. AEP and DUK share the same industry classification.

For a similarity-based comparison, see how AEP and Duke Energy each position within their functional peer groups in AssetNext.

Peer-Relative Score
AEP
American Electric Power Company, Inc.
68
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500
vs
DUK
Duke Energy Corporation
67
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500

Scores reflect position relative to comparable companies with similar long-term financial trajectories.

The clearest separation appears in profitability.

Dimension spread: AEP vs DUK Profitability 76 47 Stability 57 81 Valuation 81 80 Growth 46 66 AEP DUK
Gap Ranking
#1 Profitability +29
#2 Stability +24
#3 Growth +20
#4 Valuation +1
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for AEP and DUK Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer AEPDUK Relative valuation Structural strength

The setup is mixed: neither company clearly combines the stronger profile with the more supportive price setup.

Valuation position uses peer-relative PE percentile (idx_pct_pe) where available.

Entry today — historical context

Where AEP and DUK each sit in their own 5-year price and valuation history.

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY AEP Elevated · near norm 0th 50th 100th 3 pct gap DUK Elevated · below norm 0th 50th 100th 95th 92nd
AEP (95th percentile) and DUK (92nd percentile) both sit in the upper portion of their own 5-year ranges. The historical entry context is broadly similar for both. This reflects entry timing, not which company is structurally stronger.

Describes historical entry positioning only. Descriptive — not investment advice.

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Profitability
Both rank well on profitability, but American Electric Power Company, Inc. still holds a clear edge.
Stability
On stability, the same pattern holds: both are strong, but Duke Energy Corporation still leads clearly.
Profitability — Dominant Gap
AEP
76
DUK
47
Gap+29in favour of AEP

The clearest distance comes from a stronger profitability profile.

What keeps the gap from being one-sided

Stability still tilts materially toward Duke Energy Corporation, which stops the result from looking dominant across the whole profile.

What this means for the comparison

The main read on profitability is clearer than the broader score gap.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

Break down the AEP vs DUK comparison across all dimensions with the full interactive tool.

Explore full breakdown →
Other comparisons with conflicting dimension signals

Explore how AEP and DUK each compare against other companies in their peer groups.

Rule-based, descriptive analysis only. Derived from peer percentile dimensions. Not investment advice. Peer groups are determined algorithmically based on structural similarity — not by sector classification alone.

How AssetNext Peer Scores Work

AssetNext scores reflect each company's structural position within its functional peer group — not a ranking against all stocks simultaneously. Peers are identified by similarity across eight financial dimensions, including revenue growth trajectory, margin structure, capital intensity, and earnings stability. A score of 75 means the company ranks in the top quartile within its own peer group, not the entire market.

Four dimension scores drive the overall peer score: Growth (revenue trajectory and expansion dynamics), Quality (margin structure and capital efficiency), Valuation (peer-relative pricing on standard multiples), and Stability (earnings consistency and financial predictability). Each dimension is scored 0–100 relative to the peer group, then combined into an overall peer score using equal weighting.

Because scores are peer-relative, the same company can have slightly different scores in different index universes. On comparison pages, both companies are shown within their shared peer universe wherever possible — so the scores are directly comparable. The peer basis is stated on each score card.

Scores are recalculated periodically as underlying financial data is updated. All analysis is descriptive and rule-based — AssetNext describes structural realities and never issues buy, sell or hold recommendations.