MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) Stake Lessened by Foster & Motley Inc.

Foster & Motley Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 10.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 58,552 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 6,662 shares during the quarter. Foster & Motley Inc.’s holdings in MetLife were worth $4,794,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MET. Swedbank AB grew its stake in MetLife by 76.0% in the fourth quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 3,466,808 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $283,862,000 after purchasing an additional 1,496,645 shares in the last quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI bought a new position in MetLife during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $91,771,000. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. grew its position in shares of MetLife by 79.1% in the 3rd quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 1,726,209 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $142,378,000 after acquiring an additional 762,291 shares in the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of MetLife by 256.6% in the 3rd quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 948,223 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $78,209,000 after acquiring an additional 682,333 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB raised its position in shares of MetLife by 16.8% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 4,238,087 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $347,735,000 after acquiring an additional 608,224 shares in the last quarter. 94.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MetLife Price Performance

Shares of MET opened at $86.77 on Thursday. MetLife, Inc. has a one year low of $64.61 and a one year high of $89.05. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $83.95 and its 200-day moving average is $80.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a current ratio of 0.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.07.

MetLife Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.545 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 4th. This represents a $2.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.51%. MetLife’s payout ratio is 43.95%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on MET shares. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price 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. TD Cowen increased their price objective 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 note on Tuesday, January 7th. Barclays raised 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. Finally, BMO Capital Markets began coverage on MetLife in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $97.00 target price on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, MetLife currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $90.46.

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.