Utility companies throughout the country have been doing their part to keep the lights on regardless of customers’ ability to pay. 

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK) has posted its first-quarter 2020 financial results in a news release available on the company's website at the following link: duke-energy.com/investors.

Duke Energy's (DUK) focus on renewable business will strengthen its existing operations.

U.S. utility Southern Co on Wednesday committed to reducing its carbon emissions to "net zero" by 2050 following investor pressure to set a more ambitious goal to combat climate change. The Atlanta-based company's pledge, unveiled at its annual shareholder meeting, goes beyond a 2018 commitment that it would emit "low to no" carbon by 2050, environmental groups said.

The Duke Energy Foundation is funding $200,000 in grants to Indiana economic development organizations offering crisis relief to small businesses in the state.

Duke Energy (DUK) delivered earnings and revenue surprises of -5.79% and -5.08%, respectively, for the quarter ended March 2020. Do the numbers hold clues to what lies ahead for the stock?

Shares of Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) rose 0.5% in pre-market trading after the company reported Q1 results.Quarterly Results Earnings per share decreased 8.06% over the past year to $1.14, which missed the estimate of $1.19.Revenue of $5,949,000,000 less by 3.47% from the same period last year, which missed the estimate of $6,340,000,000.Guidance Duke Energy hasn't issued any earnings guidance for the time being.Duke Energy hasn't issued any revenue guidance for the time being.How To Listen To The Conference Call Date: May 12, 2020View more earnings on DUKTime: 09:02 PM ETWebcast URL: https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/sn5obna9Recent Stock Performance 52-week high: $103.79Company's 52-week low was at $62.13Price action over last quarter: down 19.37%Company Profile Duke Energy is one of the largest U.S. utilities, with regulated utilities in the Carolinas, Indiana, Florida, Ohio, and Kentucky that deliver electricity and gas to more than 7 million customers. Duke operates in three major segments: electric utilities and infrastructure; gas utilities and infrastructure; and commercial renewables.See more from Benzinga * Recap: Ingersoll Rand Q1 Earnings * Recap: Novanta Q1 Earnings * Recap: Radcom Q1 Earnings(C) 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

As summer quickly approaches and thoughts turn from staying at home to enjoying the great outdoors, the Duke Energy Foundation invites South Carolina nonprofit organizations focused on preserving and promoting our natural world to apply for grant funding to support these efforts.

Duke Energy (DUK) closed at $81.78 in the latest trading session, marking a +1.83% move from the prior day.

Duke Energy Corp. said Tuesday it had net income of $899 million, or $1.24 a share, in the first quarter, compared with $900 million, or $1.24 a share, in the year-earlier period. Adjusted per-share earnings came to $1.14, below the $1.19 FactSet consensus. Revenue fell to $5.949 billion from $6.163 billion, and was also below the FactSet consensus of $6.329 billion. The energy holding company said it saw improved results in its gas utilities and infrastructure segment and growth in new projects at its commercial renewables segment. Electric utilities were boosted by rate case increases in South Carolina and Florida and higher rider revenues in the Midwest. "However, these fundamental improvements in our results were offset by mild winter weather along with severe storms that impacted much of our Carolinas utilities territory as well as unrealized investment losses on non-pension executive benefit trusts and higher financing costs at Other," the company said. "Together these items resulted in lower first quarter 2020 adjusted results." The company is in the early stages of managing the COVID-19 crisis and is taking steps to mitigate the impact on its business. It is still expecting 2020 adjusted EPS of $5.05 to $5.45 assuming an economic recovery later in the year. Shares were not yet active premarket, but have fallen 10% in the year to date, while the S&P 500 has fallen 9%.

Duke Energy (DUK) is well positioned to outperform the market, as it exhibits above-average growth in financials.

On this episode of Yahoo Finance Presents, Duke Energy CEO & President Lynn Good sat down with Yahoo Finance's Sibile Marcellus, to discuss the impact of coronavirus on the company's operations, as well as its focus on clean energy and how they are shifting business to accommodate to the "new normal" as the economy begins to re-open.

Q1 2020 Duke Energy Corp Earnings Call

While some investors are already well versed in financial metrics (hat tip), this article is for those who would like...

Here we look at some ETFs with strong exposure to three utility bigwigs post the release of their mixed Q1 earnings.

Leading our call today is Lynn Good, Chair, President and Chief Executive Officer, along with Steve Young, Executive Vice President and CFO. Actual results could differ material materially from such forward-looking statements, and those factors are outlined herein and disclosed in Duke Energy's SEC filings.

The City of Charlotte has become the first municipality to execute a renewable power agreement under Duke Energy's Green Source Advantage (GSA) program – further expanding solar energy in North Carolina.

Duke Energy's (DUK) Q1 operating revenues of $5,949 million decline 3.5% year over year and also miss the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 5.1%.

Yahoo Finance’s Sibile Marcellus joins Akiko Fujita to discuss her recent interview with Duke Energy CEO and President Lynn Good.

Are you looking for a wild ride or are you looking for consistent income? For a de-risked portfolio and solid dividends, utilities stocks are a time-tested favorite investment option.Along with the dividends, utilities stocks are considered relatively safe because they provide power to homes and businesses. This is considered a necessity that never goes out of style. * 7 Sluggish Stocks Hit Hard by Coronavirus This Earnings Season It's a sound policy to stick to the best companies in any sector. When it comes to utilities companies, five names are well-regarded and have a long history:InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips * Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) * Southern (NYSE:SO) * Dominion Energy (NYSE:D) * Consolidated Edison (NYSE:ED) * Excelon (NASDAQ:EXC)Feel free to explore these utilities stocks and see if they deserve a place among your low-volatility holdings. Utilities Stocks to Buy: Duke Energy (DUK)Source: jadimages / Shutterstock.com Like just about every company in the United States, Duke Energy is dealing with the Covid-19 crisis. This particular company seems to be taking the situation in stride, however.Consider Duke's first-quarter net income, which came out to $899 million. That's just about exactly in line with the same quarter of the previous year, when Duke's net income was $900 million. Meanwhile, this year's first-quarter revenue totaled $5.95 billion, which is not too far below the $6.16 billion reported in the first quarter of the prior year.So, while there is some pressure being felt during the pandemic, it's not too severe. For the time being, DUK stockholders can ride out the crisis with a decent 4.54% forward annual dividend yield. Southern (SO)Source: Shutterstock "Critical infrastructure businesses like ours never take a day off," observed Thomas A. Fanning, the president and CEO of utilities giant Southern. Fanning's 100% right about that as Southern is an essential utilities provider for around 8 million customers.Southern remains in good fiscal health, as well. For 2020's first quarter, the company posted adjusted earnings per share of 78 cents. That's an eight-cent year-over-year increase as well as 6 cents greater than the company's estimate. * 10 Best High-Growth Stocks to Buy for Young Investors SO stock is a safe bet since it has such a massive presence and is crucial to people's standard of living. It's also a dividend achiever with a forward annual yield of 4.78%. All in all, this pick deserves to be on anyone's top utilities stocks list. Dominion Energy (D)Source: Riccardo Annandale Via UnsplashIf you said that D stock is recession-proof, you'd by exaggerating but only slightly. The shares have held up fairly well during the novel coronavirus crisis. Besides, the 4.77% forward annual dividend yield is a strong incentive to hold the stock.Fiscally, Dominion Energy has held up reasonably well despite the pandemic. For the first quarter of this year, Dominion reported total revenues of $4.5 billion. That's actually a marked improvement over the revenues of $3.9 billion Dominion generated in the year-ago quarter.With over 7 million customers across 20 U.S. states relying on Dominion for their energy needs, this company's a mainstay in the utilities sector and D stock is a highly reliable income generator. Consolidated Edison (ED)Source: Shutterstock Like to invest in companies that have been around for a while? If so, take a look at Consolidated Edison, which was founded way back in 1884. If you happen to reside in New York or New Jersey, there's a fair chance that your electricity service is provided by this esteemed company.Has "Con Ed" been able to weather the Covid storm? The answer would be yes as the company's adjusted earnings for the first quarter totaled $451 million. That's $1.35 per share and it beats the $448 million, or $1.39 per share, generated during the same quarter of last year. * Missing copy for url 1. Please edit. * Url 1 is an external link. Please edit.Plus, ED stock features a trailing 12-month price-to-earnings ratio of 18.15 and a forward annual dividend yield of 4.32%. Those are nice stats and this stock should perform well even in these challenging times. Excelon (EXC)Source: Shutterstock This one's a little bit different from the other utilities-sector stocks on this list. Excelon is a relative newcomer, having been incorporated in 1999. Plus, EXC stock is the only name on this list that's traded on the Nasdaq.So, it could be argued that Excelon is a more "modern" utilities company. Its true strength, however, is that it's diversified with fossil, nuclear, hydroelectric, wind and solar segments.With 87 cents per share in operating earnings for 2020's first quarter, Excelon remains on par with its results from the same quarter of last year. Additionally, a trailing 12-month price-to-earnings ratio of 13.79 and a forward annual dividend yield of 4.17% indicate a compelling value with EXC stock.David Moadel has provided compelling content - and crossed the occasional line - on behalf of Crush the Street, Market Realist, TalkMarkets, Finom Group, Benzinga, and (of course) InvestorPlace.com. He also serves as the chief analyst and market researcher for Portfolio Wealth Global and hosts the popular financial YouTube channel Looking at the Markets. As of this writing, David Moadel did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. More From InvestorPlace * Top Stock Picker Reveals His Next 1,000% Winner * America's Richest ZIP Code Holds Shocking Secret * 1 Under-the-Radar 5G Stock to Buy Now * The 1 Stock All Retirees Must Own The post 5 Utilities Stocks That Will Help Pay the Bills appeared first on InvestorPlace.