EXC

Exelon (EXC), a Chicago-based utility company, is highlighted as a strong dividend play for income investors. The stock offers a 3.94% dividend yield, above the industry average of 3.18%, with an annualized dividend of $1.68 up 5% year-over-year.

Earnings are expected to grow 3.25% in 2026, and the company maintains a sustainable 60% payout ratio. EXC currently holds a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

Zacks analysts published research on 16 major stocks on October 14, 2026. Mastercard received a Neutral rating despite strong performance, citing competitive pricing pressure and premium valuation concerns.

AstraZeneca faces patent erosion challenges but benefits from strong pipeline drugs and expects $80 billion in revenues by 2030. SanDisk received an Outperform rating, driven by AI inference demand and strong datacenter exposure. Other notable stocks analyzed include Exelon, General Mills, and Halozyme, with mixed outlooks across various sectors.

Exelon Corporation (EXC) and Eversource Energy (ES) are compared as both utilities invest heavily in grid infrastructure to meet rising electricity demand from data centers and industrial reshoring. Exelon is identified as the preferred pick due to stronger earnings growth projections (6.39% long-term), a larger capital investment plan ($41.7 billion through 2029), better debt position, and superior recent price performance. Eversource offers a higher dividend yield (4.83% vs. 4.05%) but faces headwinds with lower earnings growth and higher debt-to-capital ratio.