MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) Stake Boosted by Clearbridge Investments LLC

Clearbridge Investments LLC boosted its stake in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET - Free Report) by 43.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,663,177 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 1,723,461 shares during the quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC owned about 0.82% of MetLife worth $463,701,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of MET. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in MetLife during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in MetLife in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Graney & King LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MetLife during the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. Values First Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of MetLife during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of MetLife in the fourth quarter worth about $44,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.99% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on MET. StockNews.com downgraded MetLife from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of MetLife in a research note on Friday, March 7th. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of MetLife in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. They set a "market perform" rating and a $97.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of MetLife from $96.00 to $95.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of MetLife from $88.00 to $86.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, MetLife presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $94.85.

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MetLife Stock Performance

NYSE MET traded down $4.64 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $77.85. The company had a trading volume of 1,849,243 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,279,725. MetLife, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $67.30 and a fifty-two week high of $89.05. The firm has a market cap of $53.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.04, 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 business has a fifty day simple moving average of $82.98 and a 200-day simple moving average of $83.01.

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

MetLife Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 4th were given a dividend of $0.545 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 4th. This represents a $2.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.80%. MetLife's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.52%.

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.