Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund Has $14.21 Million Stock Holdings in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund reduced its holdings in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 3.4% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 173,515 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 6,200 shares during the period. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund’s holdings in MetLife were worth $14,207,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MET. United Asset Strategies Inc. lifted its position in shares of MetLife by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc. now owns 10,933 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $895,000 after buying an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. boosted its position in shares of MetLife by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 11,942 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $978,000 after acquiring an additional 121 shares during the last quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of MetLife by 1.3% during the third quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 9,464 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $781,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of MetLife by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 6,044 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $495,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Commonwealth Financial Corp PA raised its stake in MetLife by 0.8% in the third quarter. First Commonwealth Financial Corp PA now owns 16,675 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,375,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. 94.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

MetLife Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MET opened at $81.02 on Monday. 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 50-day moving average price of $83.41 and a 200-day moving average price of $81.53. The company has a market cap of $56.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.07. MetLife, Inc. has a 12 month low of $67.30 and a 12 month high of $89.05.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $2.08 EPS 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%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.65 EPS for the current year.

MetLife Announces Dividend

The firm 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.69%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 4th. MetLife’s payout ratio is 36.52%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on MET shares. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of MetLife in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $97.00 price target for the company. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of MetLife from $97.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. StockNews.com downgraded MetLife from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on MetLife from $92.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price objective on MetLife from $96.00 to $95.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, MetLife currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $92.58.

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.