Atomi Financial Group Inc. Boosts Stake in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

Atomi Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 44.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,090 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,873 shares during the period. Atomi Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in MetLife were worth $502,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GoalVest Advisory LLC increased its holdings in MetLife by 73.3% in the 1st quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 390 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 165 shares during the period. Bank & Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of MetLife in the second quarter worth $39,000. Rise Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of MetLife by 114.7% during the first quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 556 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 297 shares during the last quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in MetLife by 602.5% in the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 562 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 482 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC grew its position in MetLife by 72.6% during the 2nd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 568 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 239 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.81% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MET has been the subject of several analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective 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 lifted their target price on shares of MetLife from $86.00 to $92.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of MetLife from $83.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Barclays started coverage on shares of MetLife in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $91.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Bank of America dropped their target price on MetLife from $99.00 to $96.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $88.46.

MetLife Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:MET opened at $84.03 on Friday. MetLife, Inc. has a 52-week low of $57.91 and a 52-week high of $85.07. The company has a quick ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The business has a fifty day moving average of $76.40 and a two-hundred day moving average of $73.55. The stock has a market cap of $59.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.88, a PEG ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.04.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The financial services provider reported $2.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.13 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $17.82 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.57 billion. MetLife had a net margin of 4.23% and a return on equity of 21.41%. MetLife’s quarterly revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.94 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that MetLife, Inc. will post 8.68 earnings per share for the current year.

MetLife Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.545 per share. This represents a $2.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.59%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 5th. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio is presently 74.91%.

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.