Bleakley Financial Group LLC Increases Stock Position in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

Bleakley Financial Group LLC grew its position in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 2.0% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 30,221 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 595 shares during the period. Bleakley Financial Group LLC’s holdings in MetLife were worth $2,475,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Tectonic Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of MetLife by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Tectonic Advisors LLC now owns 14,370 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,177,000 after purchasing an additional 377 shares during the last quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of MetLife by 51.3% in the fourth quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. now owns 9,147 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $794,000 after purchasing an additional 3,103 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of MetLife by 36.8% in the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 50,371 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,118,000 after purchasing an additional 13,554 shares during the last quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd raised its holdings in shares of MetLife by 109.9% in the fourth quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 718 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 376 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hager Investment Management Services LLC bought a new position in MetLife during the fourth quarter valued at about $252,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.99% of the company’s stock.

MetLife Price Performance

MET stock opened at $83.58 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $83.90 and a 200-day moving average of $80.71. The company has a current ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. MetLife, Inc. has a 12 month low of $66.02 and a 12 month high of $89.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $57.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.07.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 5.27% and a return on equity of 20.01%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that MetLife, Inc. will post 8.18 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. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 4th will be given a $0.545 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 4th. This represents a $2.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.61%. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 43.95%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on MET shares. Barclays increased their price target on shares of MetLife from $90.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target 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. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of MetLife in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $97.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of MetLife from $86.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of MetLife from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $91.17.

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.