Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Boosts Stake in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its position in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 15.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 101,756 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 13,617 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in MetLife were worth $8,393,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MET. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in MetLife by 59.5% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 906 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $75,000 after purchasing an additional 338 shares during the last quarter. Algert Global LLC purchased a new stake in MetLife in the third quarter worth approximately $3,240,000. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC grew its position in MetLife by 14.8% during the third quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,899 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $322,000 after acquiring an additional 502 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of MetLife by 64.3% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 69,689 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,748,000 after acquiring an additional 27,274 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of MetLife by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 9,464 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $781,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.81% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of MetLife from $92.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Barclays lowered their target price on MetLife from $91.00 to $90.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Piper Sandler raised their price target on MetLife from $85.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. StockNews.com upgraded MetLife from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of MetLife from $86.00 to $85.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 19th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $88.46.

MetLife Stock Performance

Shares of MET opened at $87.36 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $82.68 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $76.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.16 and a quick ratio of 0.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.49 billion, a PE ratio of 17.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.05. MetLife, Inc. has a one year low of $62.81 and a one year high of $87.64.

MetLife Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 5th will be paid a $0.545 dividend. This represents a $2.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.50%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 5th. MetLife’s payout ratio is presently 43.95%.

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.