Austin Private Wealth LLC Boosts Holdings in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

Austin Private Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 12.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,684 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 610 shares during the period. Austin Private Wealth LLC’s holdings in MetLife were worth $465,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MET. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in MetLife by 244.4% during the third quarter. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC now owns 310 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 220 shares in the last quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. boosted its position in shares of MetLife by 131.9% during the 3rd quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. now owns 327 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 186 shares during the last quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC grew its holdings in shares of MetLife by 374.3% during the third quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 351 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 277 shares in the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of MetLife in the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in MetLife in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Institutional investors own 94.99% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. TD Cowen increased their price target 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 raised their price target on MetLife from $90.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on MetLife from $93.00 to $92.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on MetLife in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $97.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com lowered MetLife from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, MetLife presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $90.46.

MetLife Price Performance

Shares of MetLife stock opened at $86.56 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $59.93 billion, a PE ratio of 17.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.07. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $84.06 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $80.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. MetLife, Inc. has a 12-month low of $64.61 and a 12-month high of $89.05.

MetLife Dividend Announcement

The firm 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 4th. This represents a $2.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.52%. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio is presently 43.95%.

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.