Montag A & Associates Inc. Sells 1,200 Shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

Montag A & Associates Inc. decreased its stake in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 10.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 10,737 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,200 shares during the quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc.’s holdings in MetLife were worth $879,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position 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 worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 220 shares during the last quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. boosted its position in shares of MetLife by 131.9% during the third quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. now owns 327 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 186 shares during the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in MetLife during the third quarter valued at $30,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new position in MetLife during the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its position in MetLife by 177.3% during the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 416 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 266 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.99% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on MET. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of MetLife in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $97.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of MetLife from $93.00 to $92.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective 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. TD Cowen increased their price objective 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. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on shares of MetLife from $96.00 to $95.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MetLife currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $92.17.

MetLife Trading Down 0.7 %

MET stock opened at $81.78 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $56.63 billion, a PE ratio of 13.70, a P/E/G ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 1.07. MetLife, Inc. has a 12 month low of $67.30 and a 12 month high of $89.05. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $83.41 and its 200 day moving average is $81.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.16 and a quick ratio of 0.16.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last posted 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 return on equity of 20.42% and a net margin of 6.19%. On average, research analysts anticipate that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.63 EPS for the current 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 paid a $0.545 dividend. This represents a $2.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.67%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 4th. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.52%.

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.