Zacks Investment Management Lowers Position in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

Zacks Investment Management lowered its stake in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET - Free Report) by 9.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,648,559 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 181,343 shares during the period. MetLife makes up approximately 1.2% of Zacks Investment Management's holdings, making the stock its 15th largest holding. Zacks Investment Management owned about 0.24% of MetLife worth $134,984,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MetLife during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in shares of MetLife during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Graney & King LLC purchased a new stake in MetLife in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Values First Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in MetLife in the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in MetLife during the 4th quarter valued at $44,000. 94.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on MET. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of MetLife from $94.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on MetLife from $98.00 to $95.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Barclays reduced their price target on MetLife from $95.00 to $88.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of MetLife from $88.00 to $86.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Cowen reissued a "buy" rating on shares of MetLife in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, MetLife currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $92.46.

MetLife Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of MetLife stock traded up $0.79 on Friday, reaching $72.49. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,739,216 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,407,125. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $79.19 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $82.12. The company has a quick ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The company has a market capitalization of $49.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.14, a P/E/G ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 0.89. MetLife, Inc. has a 52 week low of $65.21 and a 52 week high of $89.05.

MetLife (NYSE:MET - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $2.08 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. Equities analysts anticipate that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.65 earnings per share for the current year.

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.