Natixis Decreases Stock Position in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

Natixis lessened its holdings in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET - Free Report) by 10.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 241,182 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 28,332 shares during the quarter. Natixis' holdings in MetLife were worth $19,748,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. CX Institutional boosted its stake in MetLife by 15.9% during the fourth quarter. CX Institutional now owns 68,005 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $5,568,000 after buying an additional 9,337 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of MetLife by 27.3% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 13,692 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,116,000 after purchasing an additional 2,940 shares in the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its position in MetLife by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 776,244 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $63,559,000 after purchasing an additional 12,723 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in MetLife during the fourth quarter valued at $259,000. 94.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MetLife Trading Up 1.6 %

MET stock traded up $1.17 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $74.26. The company had a trading volume of 3,673,883 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,417,594. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $78.76 and a 200 day moving average of $81.97. The company has a market capitalization of $50.59 billion, a PE ratio of 12.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 0.89. MetLife, Inc. has a 12 month low of $65.21 and a 12 month high of $89.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.16 and a quick ratio of 0.16.

MetLife (NYSE:MET - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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 return on equity of 20.42% and a net margin of 6.19%. On average, equities analysts predict that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 6th will be issued a $0.5675 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 6th. This is an increase from MetLife's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.27 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.06%. MetLife's payout ratio is currently 36.52%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MET has been the topic of a number of research reports. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of MetLife from $95.00 to $88.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on MetLife from $88.00 to $86.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of MetLife in a report on Friday, March 7th. StockNews.com lowered MetLife from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of MetLife from $97.00 to $91.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $92.46.

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.