14 Best Blue Chip Dividend Stocks to Buy According to Hedge Funds

7. Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 55

Dividend Yield as of July 5: 3.29%

Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) engages in the distribution of natural gas and energy-related services. The company owns and operates a diverse mix of regulated power plants – including hydro, nuclear, solar, battery storage, etc.

On July 1, Goldman Sachs analysts removed Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) from its US Conviction List as part of its monthly update. That said, the analyst firm reiterated its ‘Buy’ rating on the stock.

On the other hand, earlier on June 24, the analyst over at Morgan Stanley turned slightly more positive on Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) and bumped up their price recommendation on the stock by $4, while reaffirming an ‘Equal Weight’ rating on the shares (read more details here).

After a better-than-expected first quarter, Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) revealed that it remains on track to achieve its FY 2026 EPS guidance range of $6.55 to $6.80. Moreover, the utility reaffirmed its target of 5% to 7% long-term EPS growth rate through 2030.

Duke has signed electric service agreements for 7.6 ​GW worth of new data center demand since 2024, including 2.7 GW of ESAs only in Q1 of 2026. The company also revealed that it was in advanced discussions for ​an additional 15.4 GW of data centers.

1281292 - 11759070 - 1