Principal Financial Group Inc. Has $53.98 Million Position in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

Principal Financial Group Inc. decreased its stake in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET - Free Report) by 1.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 659,255 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 11,310 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.10% of MetLife worth $53,980,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MET. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in shares of MetLife by 1.5% during the third 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 buying an additional 68,579 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its stake 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 in the last quarter. Swedbank AB grew its stake in MetLife by 76.0% during the 4th quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 3,466,808 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $283,862,000 after acquiring an additional 1,496,645 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC increased its holdings in shares of MetLife by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,274,258 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $268,096,000 after purchasing an additional 114,166 shares during the period. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp lifted its position in shares of MetLife by 5.0% in the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 2,239,841 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $184,744,000 after purchasing an additional 105,762 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.99% of the company's stock.

MetLife Stock Performance

MetLife stock traded up $0.25 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $81.26. 3,079,147 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,600,895. MetLife, Inc. has a 12 month low of $67.30 and a 12 month high of $89.05. The company has a current ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $83.38 and a 200 day moving average of $81.61. The firm has a market cap of $56.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.61, a PEG ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.07.

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 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, research analysts anticipate that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.65 earnings per share for the current year.

MetLife Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 4th will be given a dividend of $0.545 per share. This represents a $2.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 4th. MetLife's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.52%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on MET. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective on shares of MetLife from $100.00 to $98.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of MetLife from $97.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Barclays lowered their target price on MetLife from $96.00 to $95.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on MetLife in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $97.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on MetLife from $92.00 to $97.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MetLife currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $92.58.

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.