Means Investment CO. Inc. Sells 865 Shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

Means Investment CO. Inc. decreased its stake in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 8.9% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 8,811 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 865 shares during the period. Means Investment CO. Inc.’s holdings in MetLife were worth $721,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in MetLife by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 4,548,725 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $375,179,000 after purchasing an additional 68,579 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its position in shares of MetLife by 16.8% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 4,238,087 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $347,735,000 after buying an additional 608,224 shares during the last quarter. Swedbank AB lifted its position in shares of MetLife by 76.0% in the fourth quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 3,466,808 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $283,862,000 after buying an additional 1,496,645 shares during the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp increased its holdings in shares of MetLife by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 2,239,841 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $184,744,000 after acquiring an additional 105,762 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC raised its stake in MetLife by 5.4% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,209,119 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $182,208,000 after acquiring an additional 112,491 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.99% of the company’s stock.

MetLife Stock Performance

Shares of MetLife stock opened at $86.56 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The company 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 has a 50 day moving average of $84.06 and a 200-day moving average of $80.51. MetLife, Inc. has a 1-year low of $64.61 and a 1-year high of $89.05.

MetLife Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 4th will be issued a $0.545 dividend. This represents a $2.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 4th. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio is presently 43.95%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on MET. StockNews.com cut shares of MetLife from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. Barclays lifted their price target on MetLife from $90.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on MetLife in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $97.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on MetLife from $93.00 to $92.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of MetLife from $97.00 to $99.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $90.46.

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.