MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) Stake Raised by J.W. Cole Advisors Inc.

J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 2.1% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 6,044 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 126 shares during the period. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc.’s holdings in MetLife were worth $495,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in MetLife by 244.4% in the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. raised its stake in shares of MetLife by 131.9% during the 3rd quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. now owns 327 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of MetLife during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MetLife during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its stake in shares of MetLife by 177.3% during the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 416 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 266 shares in the last quarter. 94.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MetLife Price Performance

NYSE MET opened at $83.08 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $83.46 and a 200 day simple moving average of $81.25. The company has a market cap of $57.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.92, a P/E/G ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 1.07. MetLife, Inc. has a 1 year low of $67.30 and a 1 year high of $89.05.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last issued 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 net margin of 6.19% and a return on equity of 20.42%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.66 EPS for the current year.

MetLife Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared 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. This represents a $2.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 4th. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.52%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on MET. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on MetLife from $92.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on MetLife in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $97.00 price target for the company. Barclays cut their price target on MetLife from $96.00 to $95.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com downgraded MetLife from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on MetLife from $86.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $92.58.

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.