Erste Asset Management GmbH Increases Holdings in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

Erste Asset Management GmbH lifted its position in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 1.4% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 115,005 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,557 shares during the period. Erste Asset Management GmbH’s holdings in MetLife were worth $9,460,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of MET. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in MetLife by 244.4% in the third quarter. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC now owns 310 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares during the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of MetLife during the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of MetLife in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in shares of MetLife in the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Coastline Trust Co bought a new stake in MetLife during the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Institutional investors own 94.99% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MET has been the topic of several analyst reports. TD Cowen lifted their price target 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on MetLife from $86.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on MetLife in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $97.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com cut MetLife from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on shares of MetLife from $100.00 to $98.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $94.58.

MetLife Trading Down 1.9 %

MetLife stock opened at $77.69 on Friday. MetLife, Inc. has a 1 year low of $67.30 and a 1 year high of $89.05. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $83.48 and its 200-day moving average price is $82.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.16 and a quick ratio of 0.16. The stock has a market cap of $52.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.01, a PEG ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.04.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $2.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.13 by ($0.05). MetLife had a net margin of 6.19% and a return on equity of 20.42%. On average, equities analysts predict that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 4th were given a $0.545 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 4th. This represents a $2.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.81%. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.52%.

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.