Metis Global Partners LLC Trims Stock Position in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

Metis Global Partners LLC decreased its position in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 2.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 36,416 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 888 shares during the period. Metis Global Partners LLC’s holdings in MetLife were worth $2,982,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MET. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in MetLife by 109.2% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 8,826,658 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $722,727,000 after buying an additional 4,606,748 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB increased its holdings in MetLife by 76.0% in the fourth quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 3,466,808 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $283,862,000 after buying an additional 1,496,645 shares in the last quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI purchased a new position in MetLife in the third quarter valued at $91,771,000. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. increased its holdings in MetLife by 79.1% in the third quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 1,726,209 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $142,378,000 after buying an additional 762,291 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. increased its holdings in MetLife by 256.6% in the third quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 948,223 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $78,209,000 after buying an additional 682,333 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.99% of the company’s stock.

MetLife Stock Performance

MET opened at $86.16 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $58.69 billion, a PE ratio of 14.43, a PEG ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.07. MetLife, Inc. has a twelve month low of $67.30 and a twelve month high of $89.05. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $83.65 and its 200 day moving average price is $81.91. The company has a current ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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, sell-side analysts expect that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 4th will be issued a $0.545 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 4th. This represents a $2.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.53%. MetLife’s payout ratio is 36.52%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on MET shares. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of MetLife in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $97.00 price objective for the company. 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 note on Wednesday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of MetLife from $101.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of MetLife from $97.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of MetLife from $92.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.