Stonebridge Financial Group LLC Takes Position in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

Stonebridge Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 915 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $75,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MET. Summit Trail Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of MetLife by 17.1% in the fourth quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 12,558 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,028,000 after acquiring an additional 1,830 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC boosted its holdings in MetLife by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 25,488 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,087,000 after purchasing an additional 1,152 shares during the period. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC grew its position in shares of MetLife by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 22,771 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,864,000 after purchasing an additional 1,157 shares in the last quarter. Stephens Inc. AR increased its holdings in shares of MetLife by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 38,720 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,170,000 after purchasing an additional 1,907 shares during the period. Finally, Investment Advisory Services Inc. TX ADV raised its position in shares of MetLife by 8.1% in the fourth quarter. Investment Advisory Services Inc. TX ADV now owns 4,097 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $335,000 after buying an additional 307 shares in the last quarter. 94.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MetLife Trading Down 0.5 %

MET opened at $82.77 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $57.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.86, a PEG ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 1.07. 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’s 50 day moving average is $83.59 and its 200-day moving average is $80.98. MetLife, Inc. has a 1-year low of $67.04 and a 1-year high of $89.05.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last issued its 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%. Equities research analysts predict that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 4th will be given a dividend of $0.545 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 4th. This represents a $2.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.63%. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.52%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on MET. Barclays reduced their price target on MetLife from $96.00 to $95.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on MetLife from $86.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on MetLife from $100.00 to $98.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. StockNews.com downgraded shares of MetLife from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $92.17.

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.