MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) Shares Bought by Benson Investment Management Company Inc.

Benson Investment Management Company Inc. grew its position in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 1.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 66,482 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,060 shares during the period. MetLife comprises approximately 2.3% of Benson Investment Management Company Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest position. Benson Investment Management Company Inc.’s holdings in MetLife were worth $5,444,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in MetLife by 22.4% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,396,274 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $378,799,000 after purchasing an additional 988,666 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc raised its holdings in MetLife by 5.4% in the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 5,299,800 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $371,993,000 after acquiring an additional 269,246 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in MetLife by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 4,548,725 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $375,179,000 after purchasing an additional 68,579 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its holdings in shares of MetLife by 16.8% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 4,238,087 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $347,735,000 after purchasing an additional 608,224 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of MetLife by 3.2% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,224,930 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $226,358,000 after purchasing an additional 100,782 shares during the last quarter. 94.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on MetLife from $89.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on MetLife from $86.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of MetLife from $97.00 to $99.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of MetLife from $90.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of MetLife from $92.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, MetLife has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $90.00.

MetLife Trading Up 2.1 %

NYSE MET opened at $81.94 on Tuesday. MetLife, Inc. has a one year low of $64.61 and a one year high of $89.05. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $83.04 and a 200-day simple moving average of $79.11. The firm has a market cap of $56.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.52, a PEG ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a current ratio of 0.16.

MetLife Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 4th will be given a dividend of $0.545 per share. This represents a $2.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 4th. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio is currently 43.95%.

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.