IFP Advisors Inc Increases Position in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

IFP Advisors Inc increased its stake in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 59.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,234 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,679 shares during the quarter. IFP Advisors Inc’s holdings in MetLife were worth $1,247,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MET. United Asset Strategies Inc. boosted its holdings in MetLife by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc. now owns 10,933 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $895,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the period. Barrett & Company Inc. boosted its holdings in MetLife by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 11,942 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $978,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares during the period. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. boosted its holdings in MetLife by 1.3% in the third quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 9,464 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $781,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the period. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in MetLife by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 6,044 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $495,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares during the period. Finally, Avestar Capital LLC boosted its holdings in MetLife by 3.2% in the third quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 4,264 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $352,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the period. 94.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MetLife Stock Performance

MET stock opened at $82.46 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $83.48 and a 200 day simple moving average of $81.70. MetLife, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $67.30 and a fifty-two week high of $89.05. The company has a market capitalization of $57.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.81, a PEG ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.07.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $2.08 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%. Sell-side analysts predict that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 4th will be given a $0.545 dividend. This represents a $2.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.64%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 4th. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.52%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of MetLife from $92.00 to $97.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of MetLife from $97.00 to $99.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of MetLife from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of MetLife from $86.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of MetLife in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $97.00 price target for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, MetLife currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $92.58.

MetLife 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.