Persium Advisors LLC Purchases New Holdings in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

Persium Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 8,382 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $686,000. MetLife comprises about 0.7% of Persium Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest position.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in MetLife by 244.4% in the 3rd 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 last quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. lifted its position in MetLife by 131.9% in the third quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. now owns 327 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 186 shares during the last quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC lifted its position in MetLife by 374.3% in the third quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 351 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 277 shares during the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in MetLife in the third quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its stake in shares of MetLife by 177.3% during the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 416 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 266 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.99% of the company’s stock.

MetLife Stock Performance

Shares of MET traded up $1.63 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $81.88. 2,220,872 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,945,766. The company has a market cap of $56.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.51, a PEG ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 1.07. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $82.97 and its 200 day simple moving average is $79.03. MetLife, Inc. has a twelve month low of $64.61 and a twelve month high of $89.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51.

MetLife Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 4th will be issued a $0.545 dividend. This represents a $2.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.66%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 4th. MetLife’s payout ratio is presently 43.95%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on MET shares. Barclays upped their price target on shares of MetLife from $90.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. StockNews.com lowered shares of MetLife from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of MetLife from $97.00 to $99.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of MetLife from $92.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of MetLife from $86.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $90.00.

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.