Meeder Advisory Services Inc. Sells 948 Shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

Meeder Advisory Services Inc. cut its stake in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 5.9% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 15,149 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 948 shares during the quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in MetLife were worth $1,240,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of MET. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in MetLife in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MetLife in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Graney & King LLC purchased a new position in MetLife during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Values First Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in MetLife in the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in MetLife in the 4th quarter valued at about $44,000. Institutional investors own 94.99% of the company’s stock.

MetLife Trading Up 1.8 %

Shares of MET stock opened at $82.61 on Thursday. MetLife, Inc. has a 1 year low of $67.30 and a 1 year high of $89.05. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $82.98 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $83.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.16 and a quick ratio of 0.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $56.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.84, a PEG ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.04.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 20.42% and a net margin of 6.19%. As a group, analysts anticipate that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.65 earnings per share for the current year.

MetLife Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of MetLife in a report on Friday, March 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on MetLife from $100.00 to $98.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of MetLife from $92.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. StockNews.com lowered shares of MetLife from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on shares of MetLife from $94.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, MetLife currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $94.85.

MetLife Company 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.