MetLife Investment Management LLC Has $22.03 Million Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

MetLife Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 1.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 204,445 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 3,711 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $22,027,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. Bcwm LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $9,815,000. Bailard Inc. boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 10.9% during the 4th quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 31,921 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,439,000 after purchasing an additional 3,139 shares during the period. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC now owns 52,097 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $5,613,000 after buying an additional 2,705 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 25.7% during the fourth quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 35,755 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,852,000 after buying an additional 7,319 shares during the period. Finally, First Business Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $384,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DUK traded down $0.51 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $120.19. 942,562 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,379,098. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $118.19 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $114.29. The company has a market cap of $93.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.67. Duke Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $97.49 and a 52 week high of $125.27.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 9.50%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DUK has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Barclays raised their target price on Duke Energy from $111.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $123.87.

About Duke Energy

Duke Energy Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an energy company in the United States. It operates through two segments: Electric Utilities and Infrastructure (EU&I), and Gas Utilities and Infrastructure (GU&I). The EU&I segment generates, transmits, distributes, and sells electricity in the Carolinas, Florida, and the Midwest.