Jackson Square Capital LLC Acquires 4,219 Shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

Jackson Square Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 50.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 12,528 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,219 shares during the period. Jackson Square Capital LLC’s holdings in MetLife were worth $1,026,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on MET shares. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on MetLife from $89.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of MetLife from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of MetLife from $90.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of MetLife from $93.00 to $92.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, MetLife presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $89.92.

MetLife Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of MET stock opened at $86.83 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $83.41 and its 200 day moving average price is $79.41. MetLife, Inc. has a 1-year low of $64.61 and a 1-year high of $89.05. The company has a market cap of $60.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.59 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.16 and a quick ratio of 0.16.

MetLife Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 4th will be issued a dividend of $0.545 per share. This represents a $2.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 4th. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.