Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. Boosts Holdings in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. raised its position in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 2.0% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 247,300 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,800 shares during the quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V.’s holdings in MetLife were worth $20,249,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MET. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 220 shares in the last quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. increased its position in MetLife by 131.9% during the 3rd quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. now owns 327 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in MetLife in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in MetLife in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MetLife during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. 94.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MetLife Stock Performance

NYSE MET opened at $84.08 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $58.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.08, a PEG ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.07. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $83.56 and a 200 day moving average of $81.72. The company has a current ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. MetLife, Inc. has a twelve month low of $67.30 and a twelve month high of $89.05.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $2.08 earnings per share (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%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 4th will be given a $0.545 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 4th. This represents a $2.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.59%. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.52%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on MET shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased 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. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on MetLife from $92.00 to $97.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Barclays lowered their price target on MetLife from $96.00 to $95.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on MetLife in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $97.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded MetLife from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, MetLife currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $92.58.

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.