Raymond James Begins Coverage of Duke Energy (DUK) Stock, Gives Market Perform

Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) is one of the Top Energy and Utility Stocks Wall Street Analysts Are Talking About. On June 13, Raymond James began coverage of the company’s stock with a “Market Perform” rating. The firm believes that Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) is a quality name, which continues to trade at a reasonable valuation, with limited rate case risk in 2025-2026. This develops a clear runway for a well-communicated growth strategy, added the analyst. Despite the strong run, the firm expects faster near-term growth.

For Q1 2025, the company announced adjusted EPS of $1.76, making a healthy start to the year. These results were $0.32 above last year, thanks to top-line growth throughout the electric and gas utilities. Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) is confident in its outlook and has re-affirmed its 2025 guidance range of $6.17 to $6.42 and long-term EPS growth rate of 5% to 7% through 2029.

In March, Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) received approval from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to extend the operating license for its Oconee nuclear station for an additional 20 years. Considering the 3 generating units producing over 2,600 megawatts, Oconee happens to be the first nuclear station to reach such a milestone and is expected to now power the Carolinas into the 2050s.

While we acknowledge the potential of DUK to grow, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk.  If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than DUK and that has 100x upside potential, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock.

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Disclosure: None.