Townsquare Capital LLC Boosts Holdings in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

Townsquare Capital LLC lifted its stake in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 109,603 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,545 shares during the period. Townsquare Capital LLC’s holdings in MetLife were worth $9,040,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of MetLife by 22.4% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,396,274 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $378,799,000 after purchasing an additional 988,666 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its position in MetLife by 5.4% during the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 5,299,800 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $371,993,000 after acquiring an additional 269,246 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in MetLife by 3.2% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,224,930 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $226,358,000 after acquiring an additional 100,782 shares during the period. FMR LLC lifted its position in MetLife by 5.4% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,209,119 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $182,208,000 after acquiring an additional 112,491 shares during the period. Finally, AustralianSuper Pty Ltd lifted its position in MetLife by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 2,063,607 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $144,845,000 after acquiring an additional 16,985 shares during the period. 89.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MetLife Stock Performance

Shares of MET stock opened at $88.25 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. MetLife, Inc. has a 52 week low of $62.89 and a 52 week high of $89.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $61.11 billion, a PE ratio of 17.79, a P/E/G ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $83.05 and a 200-day moving average price of $76.37.

MetLife Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.545 per share. This represents a $2.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 5th. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio is currently 43.95%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on MET shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of MetLife from $92.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of MetLife from $86.00 to $85.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 19th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of MetLife from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of MetLife from $91.00 to $90.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of MetLife from $89.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $88.62.

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.