Linscomb Wealth Inc. Cuts Stock Position in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

Linscomb Wealth Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 0.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 123,802 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 499 shares during the period. Linscomb Wealth Inc.’s holdings in MetLife were worth $10,137,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MET. Swedbank AB boosted its position in shares of MetLife by 5.3% in the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 1,970,163 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $162,499,000 after buying an additional 99,328 shares during the period. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in MetLife by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 5,918 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $488,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares during the period. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its position in MetLife by 177.3% in the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 416 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 266 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MetLife during the third quarter valued at approximately $213,000. Finally, Golden State Equity Partners acquired a new position in shares of MetLife during the third quarter worth $205,000. 94.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MetLife Price Performance

Shares of MET opened at $84.08 on Friday. MetLife, Inc. has a 52 week low of $67.30 and a 52 week high of $89.05. The company has a current ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The firm has a market cap of $58.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.08, a PEG ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.07. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $83.56 and a 200-day moving average of $81.72.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $2.08 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.13 by ($0.05). MetLife had a return on equity of 20.42% and a net margin of 6.19%. As a group, analysts forecast that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.65 EPS for the current year.

MetLife Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 4th will be given a dividend of $0.545 per share. This represents a $2.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.59%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 4th. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.52%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of MetLife from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on MetLife from $86.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Barclays cut their price target on MetLife from $96.00 to $95.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective on MetLife from $100.00 to $98.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their target price on MetLife from $97.00 to $99.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, MetLife has a consensus 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.