Verity & Verity LLC Buys 10,097 Shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

Verity & Verity LLC increased its stake in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET - Free Report) by 4.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 238,667 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 10,097 shares during the quarter. MetLife makes up about 1.8% of Verity & Verity LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest position. Verity & Verity LLC's holdings in MetLife were worth $19,542,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MET. Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT increased its position in MetLife by 5.0% in the 2nd quarter. Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT now owns 3,501 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $246,000 after buying an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV grew its stake in MetLife by 0.5% in the second quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 62,120 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $4,353,000 after acquiring an additional 317 shares during the period. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of MetLife by 2.2% during the second quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 21,018 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,475,000 after acquiring an additional 446 shares in the last quarter. Seven Eight Capital LP acquired a new position in shares of MetLife during the second quarter worth approximately $1,116,000. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of MetLife by 21.4% in the 2nd quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 39,269 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,756,000 after purchasing an additional 6,930 shares in the last quarter. 94.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on MET shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of MetLife from $86.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. StockNews.com downgraded MetLife from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on MetLife from $89.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on MetLife from $93.00 to $92.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on MetLife from $90.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $89.92.

MetLife Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MET traded up $0.94 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $86.83. 5,168,506 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,672,899. MetLife, Inc. has a one year low of $64.61 and a one year high of $89.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a current ratio of 0.16. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $83.41 and a 200 day moving average of $79.47. The company has a market cap of $60.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.51, a P/E/G ratio of 0.59 and a beta of 1.07.

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 2.51%. MetLife's dividend payout ratio is presently 43.95%.

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.