Fisher Asset Management LLC Acquires New Shares in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

Fisher Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 4,733 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $388,000.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. United Asset Strategies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of MetLife by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc. now owns 10,933 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $895,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the period. Barrett & Company Inc. increased its holdings in shares of MetLife by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 11,942 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $978,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares during the period. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of MetLife by 1.3% during the third quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 9,464 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $781,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the period. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of MetLife by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 6,044 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $495,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares during the period. Finally, First Commonwealth Financial Corp PA increased its holdings in shares of MetLife by 0.8% during the third quarter. First Commonwealth Financial Corp PA now owns 16,675 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,375,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the period. 94.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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MetLife Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MET traded up $0.06 during trading on Friday, hitting $82.28. 3,131,884 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,554,516. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $83.72 and its 200-day simple moving average is $82.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a current ratio of 0.16. The company has a market capitalization of $56.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.04. MetLife, Inc. has a 1-year low of $67.30 and a 1-year high of $89.05.

MetLife (NYSE:MET - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $2.08 EPS 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%. Sell-side analysts expect that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 4th will be paid a $0.545 dividend. This represents a $2.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.65%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 4th. MetLife's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.52%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on MetLife from $101.00 to $109.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on MetLife from $92.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on MetLife in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They set a "market perform" rating and a $97.00 target price on the stock. Barclays lowered their target price on MetLife from $96.00 to $95.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on MetLife from $100.00 to $98.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $94.58.

MetLife Profile

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.