Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors Cuts Stake in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors reduced its position in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 3.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,802 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 251 shares during the quarter. Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors’ holdings in MetLife were worth $639,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of MetLife by 244.4% during the third quarter. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC now owns 310 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 220 shares during the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of MetLife during the third quarter valued at $30,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MetLife during the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MetLife during the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Coastline Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of MetLife during the third quarter valued at $35,000. 94.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MetLife Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of MetLife stock opened at $82.28 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $83.72 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $82.21. The company has a market cap of $56.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.04. MetLife, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $67.30 and a fifty-two week high of $89.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a current ratio of 0.16.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $2.08 earnings per share 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%. As a group, equities analysts predict that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 4th will be given a dividend of $0.545 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 4th. This represents a $2.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.65%. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.52%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on MET shares. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of MetLife in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $97.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of MetLife from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of MetLife from $92.00 to $97.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of MetLife from $101.00 to $109.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on shares of MetLife from $100.00 to $98.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $94.58.

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.