MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) Shares Sold by US Bancorp DE

US Bancorp DE cut its stake in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 1.0% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 106,528 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,106 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE’s holdings in MetLife were worth $8,723,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in MetLife by 244.4% in the third quarter. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC now owns 310 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 220 shares during the period. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. increased its position in MetLife by 131.9% in the third quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. now owns 327 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 186 shares during the period. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in MetLife in the third quarter worth $30,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in MetLife in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in MetLife in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. 94.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MetLife Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of MET stock opened at $85.60 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $83.73 and a 200 day simple moving average of $82.08. MetLife, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $67.30 and a fifty-two week high of $89.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $58.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.34, a P/E/G ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.07. 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 earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $2.08 earnings per share 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%. On average, sell-side analysts expect 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 $0.545 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 4th. This represents a $2.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.55%. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.52%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MET has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on MetLife from $100.00 to $98.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Barclays lowered their price target on MetLife from $96.00 to $95.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. TD Cowen raised their price target on MetLife from $97.00 to $99.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. StockNews.com lowered MetLife from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on MetLife in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $97.00 price target on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, MetLife currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $94.58.

MetLife 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.