Forsta AP Fonden Sells 3,000 Shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

Forsta AP Fonden lessened its stake in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET - Free Report) by 1.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 195,700 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 3,000 shares during the period. Forsta AP Fonden's holdings in MetLife were worth $16,024,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. United Asset Strategies Inc. boosted its position in shares of MetLife by 1.1% in the 4th 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. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of MetLife by 1.3% in the third quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 9,464 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $781,000 after buying an additional 123 shares during the period. Abacus Planning Group Inc. increased its position in shares of MetLife by 1.0% in the third quarter. Abacus Planning Group Inc. now owns 12,301 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,015,000 after acquiring an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Avestar Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of MetLife by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 4,264 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $352,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Commonwealth Financial Corp PA boosted its stake in MetLife by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. First Commonwealth Financial Corp PA now owns 16,675 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,375,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.99% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on MET shares. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on MetLife from $93.00 to $92.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on MetLife from $85.00 to $92.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. StockNews.com lowered shares of MetLife from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of MetLife in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. They set a "market perform" rating and a $97.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of MetLife from $86.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $90.46.

MetLife Stock Performance

MetLife stock traded up $0.51 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $87.15. The company had a trading volume of 390,534 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,430,303. The company has a 50 day moving average of $84.03 and a 200-day moving average of $80.35. MetLife, Inc. has a 52 week low of $64.61 and a 52 week high of $89.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The firm has a market cap of $60.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.56, a PEG ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.07.

MetLife Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 4th will be given a $0.545 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 4th. This represents a $2.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.50%. MetLife's dividend payout ratio is currently 43.95%.

MetLife Company 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.