Strategic Advisors LLC Purchases 13,690 Shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

Strategic Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET - Free Report) by 56.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 38,139 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 13,690 shares during the period. Strategic Advisors LLC's holdings in MetLife were worth $3,123,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MET. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of MetLife by 244.4% during the 3rd quarter. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC now owns 310 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares during the last quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. grew its holdings in shares of MetLife by 131.9% during the 3rd quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. now owns 327 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 186 shares during the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of MetLife during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in shares of MetLife during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of MetLife during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Institutional investors own 94.99% of the company's stock.

MetLife Stock Performance

MetLife stock traded up $0.37 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $82.80. The stock had a trading volume of 1,018,781 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,594,076. The stock's 50 day moving average is $83.41 and its two-hundred day moving average is $81.23. The company has a quick ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. MetLife, Inc. has a 1 year low of $67.30 and a 1 year high of $89.05. The stock has a market cap of $57.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 1.07.

MetLife (NYSE:MET - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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, analysts predict that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.66 EPS for the current year.

MetLife Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 4th will be issued a $0.545 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 4th. This represents a $2.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.63%. MetLife's payout ratio is 36.52%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MET has been the subject of several recent research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on MetLife from $100.00 to $98.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Barclays cut their target price on MetLife from $96.00 to $95.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on MetLife from $97.00 to $99.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. StockNews.com cut MetLife from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on MetLife from $86.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $92.58.

About MetLife

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.