Parallel Advisors LLC Boosts Stake in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

Parallel Advisors LLC raised its holdings in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET - Free Report) by 94.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 14,188 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 6,877 shares during the quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC's holdings in MetLife were worth $1,162,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in MetLife by 109.2% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 8,826,658 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $722,727,000 after acquiring an additional 4,606,748 shares during the period. Swedbank AB raised its stake in shares of MetLife by 76.0% in the fourth quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 3,466,808 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $283,862,000 after purchasing an additional 1,496,645 shares during the last quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI acquired a new stake in shares of MetLife during the third quarter worth about $91,771,000. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. boosted its position in MetLife by 79.1% in the third quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 1,726,209 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $142,378,000 after buying an additional 762,291 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. increased its holdings in MetLife by 256.6% in the 3rd quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 948,223 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $78,209,000 after buying an additional 682,333 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.99% of the company's stock.

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MetLife Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MET traded up $1.79 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $84.15. 2,971,920 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,070,203. The company has a market cap of $57.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.10, a PEG ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $83.48 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $82.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a current ratio of 0.16. 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $2.08 earnings per share (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%. Equities analysts predict that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 4th were issued a dividend of $0.545 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 4th. This represents a $2.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.59%. MetLife's payout ratio is currently 36.52%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MET has been the topic of several recent research reports. Barclays dropped their price objective 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on shares of MetLife from $100.00 to $98.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. StockNews.com lowered MetLife from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on MetLife in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $97.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on MetLife from $101.00 to $109.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company 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.