Blair William & Co. IL Has $7.76 Million Stake in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

Blair William & Co. IL increased its position in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 3.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 94,737 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 2,913 shares during the period. Blair William & Co. IL’s holdings in MetLife were worth $7,757,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of MetLife during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in MetLife during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Graney & King LLC bought a new position in MetLife during the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. Values First Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of MetLife in the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of MetLife during the 4th quarter worth about $44,000. Institutional investors own 94.99% of the company’s stock.

MetLife Stock Down 4.6 %

Shares of MET opened at $79.19 on Friday. MetLife, Inc. has a 12 month low of $67.30 and a 12 month high of $89.05. The stock has a market cap of $53.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.27, a P/E/G ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $83.29 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $82.89. 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 (NYSE:MET) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $2.08 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.13 by ($0.05). MetLife had a net margin of 6.19% and a return on equity of 20.42%. Equities analysts predict that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 4th were issued a dividend of $0.545 per share. This represents a $2.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.75%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 4th. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.52%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on MET. Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of MetLife in a report on Friday, March 7th. StockNews.com cut shares of MetLife from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of MetLife from $92.00 to $97.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on shares of MetLife from $100.00 to $98.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on MetLife in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $97.00 price target on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $94.58.

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.