ING Groep NV raised its holdings in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET - Free Report) by 573.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 30,811 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 26,238 shares during the period. ING Groep NV's holdings in MetLife were worth $2,523,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in MetLife by 244.4% during the 3rd quarter. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC now owns 310 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares in the last quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. raised its stake in MetLife by 131.9% in the 3rd quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. now owns 327 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 186 shares during the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in MetLife during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in MetLife during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in shares of MetLife in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.99% of the company's stock.
MetLife Price Performance
NYSE MET traded up $0.26 on Wednesday, hitting $82.46. The company had a trading volume of 2,394,390 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,558,941. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.16 and a quick ratio of 0.16. The company's fifty day moving average price is $83.41 and its 200-day moving average price is $81.69. The company has a market capitalization of $57.10 billion, a PE ratio of 13.81, a PEG ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.07. MetLife, Inc. has a 12-month low of $67.30 and a 12-month high of $89.05.
MetLife (NYSE:MET - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 20.42% and a net margin of 6.19%. As a group, analysts predict that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.65 earnings per share for the current year.
MetLife Dividend Announcement
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 2.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 4th. MetLife's dividend payout ratio is presently 36.52%.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays cut their price target on shares of MetLife from $96.00 to $95.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com cut shares of MetLife from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of MetLife in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $97.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on MetLife from $86.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on MetLife from $92.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $92.58.
View Our Latest Report on MetLife
MetLife Company Profile
(
Free Report)
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.
Further Reading
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