Teacher Retirement System of Texas Purchases 417,420 Shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

Teacher Retirement System of Texas lifted its position in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 10,314.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 421,467 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 417,420 shares during the quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas’ holdings in MetLife were worth $34,510,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MetLife during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MetLife during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Values First Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of MetLife during the 4th quarter worth $36,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MetLife during the 4th quarter worth $44,000. Finally, Atala Financial Inc purchased a new stake in shares of MetLife during the 4th quarter worth $45,000. Institutional investors own 94.99% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MET has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on MetLife in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $97.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on MetLife from $92.00 to $97.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of MetLife in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased 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, February 12th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price target on MetLife from $97.00 to $99.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $94.58.

MetLife Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:MET opened at $82.68 on Friday. MetLife, Inc. has a 52-week low of $67.30 and a 52-week high of $89.05. The stock has a market cap of $56.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.85, a PEG ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a quick ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $83.44 and a 200-day moving average price of $82.57.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $2.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.13 by ($0.05). MetLife had a return on equity of 20.42% and a net margin of 6.19%. Equities analysts predict that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.65 EPS for the current year.

MetLife Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 4th were issued a dividend of $0.545 per share. This represents a $2.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.64%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 4th. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.52%.

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.