O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Increases Stake in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC grew its stake in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET - Free Report) by 114.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 513,357 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 274,376 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC owned about 0.07% of MetLife worth $42,034,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. United Asset Strategies Inc. boosted its stake in shares of MetLife by 1.1% in 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. lifted its holdings in MetLife by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 11,942 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $978,000 after buying an additional 121 shares in the last quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. boosted its position in MetLife by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 6,044 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $495,000 after buying an additional 126 shares during the period. Davis R M Inc. grew its stake in shares of MetLife by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Davis R M Inc. now owns 3,148 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $258,000 after acquiring an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Daymark Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of MetLife by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC now owns 5,091 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $417,000 after acquiring an additional 149 shares during the period. 94.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently issued reports on MET. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on MetLife from $101.00 to $109.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of MetLife in a research note on Friday, March 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of MetLife from $88.00 to $86.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price 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. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of MetLife from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $94.85.

MetLife Stock Performance

NYSE MET traded up $1.45 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $82.61. The company had a trading volume of 3,204,919 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,574,267. The business has a 50 day moving average of $83.04 and a 200-day moving average of $83.01. The company has a market cap of $56.28 billion, a PE ratio of 13.84, 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. 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 (NYSE:MET - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $2.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.13 by ($0.05). MetLife had a net margin of 6.19% and a return on equity of 20.42%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.65 EPS for the current year.

MetLife Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 4th were given a dividend of $0.545 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 4th. This represents a $2.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.64%. MetLife's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.52%.

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.