Winners in Duke Energy Corp.’s $6.7 billion purchase of Piedmont National Gas Co. aren’t hard to spot. Gas company stockholders saw their investment soar more than 30% in a day, CEO Thomas Skains will depart with an $11 million buyout, Duke gains a faster-growing business and investment bankers Goldman Sachs & Co. and Barclays are in line for millions in advisory fees. Still to be determined: how customers and employees can benefit from the combination of North Carolina’s two big utilities, both based in Charlotte.
Key numbers:
9% — Decline of Duke share price in 15 trading days after deal announcement
$4.5 billion — Decline in Duke’s market valuation in those 15 trading days
4% to 6% — Duke’s goal for annual profit growth
1% — Duke’s annual profit growth last 5 years
13 to 1 — Duke’s size compared to Piedmont, based on 2014 net income
2.5 to 1 — Duke CEO Lynn Good’s compensation in 2013 and 2014 compared with Piedmont’s Skains in same period
14,500 — Combined employees in North Carolina: Duke Energy, 13,000; Piedmont Natural Gas, 1,500