MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) Holdings Decreased by Quent Capital LLC

Quent Capital LLC decreased its stake in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 5.4% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 7,104 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 408 shares during the period. Quent Capital LLC’s holdings in MetLife were worth $582,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. CWM LLC increased its stake in shares of MetLife by 15.0% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 18,256 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,506,000 after acquiring an additional 2,383 shares during the period. Ritholtz Wealth Management acquired a new stake in MetLife in the third quarter worth approximately $214,000. Carnegie Investment Counsel boosted its stake in MetLife by 8.9% during the 3rd quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 6,031 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $497,000 after purchasing an additional 494 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its position in shares of MetLife by 98.3% during the 3rd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 712 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 353 shares during the period. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. raised its stake in shares of MetLife by 54.5% in the 3rd quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 757 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $62,000 after buying an additional 267 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.99% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com cut MetLife from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective 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. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of MetLife from $97.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of MetLife from $96.00 to $95.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on MetLife in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $97.00 price target on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $91.08.

MetLife Price Performance

MET opened at $83.24 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $57.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.94, a PEG ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 1.07. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $83.64 and a 200-day moving average of $80.93. The company has a quick ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. MetLife, Inc. has a 12-month low of $67.04 and a 12-month high of $89.05.

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 forecast that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 4th will be issued a dividend of $0.545 per share. This represents a $2.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.62%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 4th. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.52%.

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.