Duke Energy Corporation (DUK) Price Target Raised by $9 at Morgan Stanley

Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) is included among the 12 Best Utility Stocks to Buy for Dividends.

Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) engages in the distribution of natural gas and energy-related services.

Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) received a boost on October 22 when Morgan Stanley analyst David Arcaro raised the stock’s price target from $127 to $136, while maintaining an ‘Equal Weight’ rating on its shares. The update is a part of the firm revising its price targets for Regulated & Diversified Utilities / IPPs in North America under its coverage. The firm highlighted that the utilities sector outperformed the S&P last month. The analyst expects a key focus for the sector to be on the evolution of data center pipelines in the upcoming Q3 reports and will be looking for comments around interconnection times.

Backed by government-regulated rate structures, Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK)’s stable cash flows have allowed it to pay dividends for 99 consecutive years as of late 2025. Moreover, Duke currently has a massive $83 billion investment program underway to expand its transmission and distribution network, enabling it to grow its EPS at a rate of 5% to 7% through 2029. The growth in earnings should allow the utility to continue increasing its shareholder distributions.

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