MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) Short Interest Up 24.0% in November

MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 6,200,000 shares, an increase of 24.0% from the November 15th total of 5,000,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 3,210,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.9 days. Currently, 1.1% of the shares of the company are short sold.

MetLife Stock Performance

NYSE MET opened at $82.99 on Monday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $83.77 and a 200 day moving average price of $77.43. 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 company has a market capitalization of $57.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.73, a PEG ratio of 0.74 and a beta of 1.06. MetLife has a 1-year low of $64.61 and a 1-year high of $89.05.

MetLife Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 5th will be given a $0.545 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 5th. This represents a $2.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.63%. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio is presently 43.95%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MET has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on MetLife from $92.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. StockNews.com raised MetLife from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 25th. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of MetLife from $85.00 to $92.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of MetLife from $97.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of MetLife from $89.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $88.62.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MetLife

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of MetLife by 244.4% in the third quarter. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC now owns 310 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares during the last quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. lifted its stake in MetLife by 131.9% in the 3rd quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. now owns 327 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC grew its holdings in MetLife by 374.3% during the 3rd quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 351 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 277 shares during the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in MetLife during the third quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its holdings in shares of MetLife by 177.3% in the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 416 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 266 shares during the last quarter. 94.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.