Smartleaf Asset Management LLC Buys 2,940 Shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET - Free Report) by 27.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,692 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 2,940 shares during the quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC's holdings in MetLife were worth $1,116,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in MetLife by 109.2% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 8,826,658 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $722,727,000 after buying an additional 4,606,748 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position in MetLife by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 4,548,725 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $375,179,000 after acquiring an additional 68,579 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its position in MetLife by 16.8% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 4,238,087 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $347,735,000 after acquiring an additional 608,224 shares during the period. Swedbank AB boosted its stake in MetLife by 76.0% during the fourth quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 3,466,808 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $283,862,000 after acquiring an additional 1,496,645 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC grew its holdings in MetLife by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,274,258 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $268,096,000 after purchasing an additional 114,166 shares during the period. 94.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

MetLife Stock Performance

NYSE:MET traded down $0.58 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $85.60. The company had a trading volume of 3,114,917 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,567,300. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $83.65 and its 200-day moving average price is $81.99. The firm has a market cap of $58.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.34, a PEG ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a current ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. MetLife, Inc. has a 52 week low of $67.30 and a 52 week high of $89.05.

MetLife (NYSE:MET - Get Free Report) last issued 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%. On average, analysts forecast that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.65 EPS for the current year.

MetLife Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 4th will be issued a dividend of $0.545 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 4th. This represents a $2.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.55%. MetLife's dividend payout ratio is presently 36.52%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MET has been the topic of several recent research reports. StockNews.com downgraded 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on MetLife from $86.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on shares of MetLife from $100.00 to $98.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of MetLife from $97.00 to $99.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, MetLife currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price 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.