3,671 Shares in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) Bought by Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC

Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 3,671 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $301,000.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of MetLife by 244.4% during the 3rd quarter. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC now owns 310 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 220 shares during the period. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in MetLife in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new stake in MetLife in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in MetLife in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Coastline Trust Co bought a new stake in MetLife in the 3rd quarter valued at $35,000. 94.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

MetLife Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of MetLife stock opened at $78.56 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $53.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a quick ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $83.61 and a 200 day simple moving average of $82.41. MetLife, Inc. has a 12-month low of $67.30 and a 12-month high of $89.05.

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MetLife (NYSE:MET - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $2.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.13 by ($0.05). MetLife had a return on equity of 20.42% and a net margin of 6.19%. Research analysts expect that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 4th were given a dividend of $0.545 per share. This represents a $2.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.77%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 4th. MetLife's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.52%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of MetLife from $92.00 to $97.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of MetLife from $86.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of MetLife from $101.00 to $109.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of MetLife from $96.00 to $95.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of MetLife from $97.00 to $99.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $94.58.

About MetLife

MetLife, Inc, a financial services company, provides insurance, annuities, employee benefits, and asset management services worldwide. It operates through six segments: Retirement and Income Solutions; Group Benefits; Asia; Latin America; Europe, the Middle East and Africa; and MetLife Holdings. The company offers life, dental, group short-and long-term disability, individual disability, pet insurance, accidental death and dismemberment, vision, and accident and health coverages, as well as prepaid legal plans; administrative services-only arrangements to employers; and general and separate account, and synthetic guaranteed interest contracts, as well as private floating rate funding agreements.

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