Wayfinding Financial LLC Makes New Investment in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 3,460 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $283,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MET. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new position in MetLife during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MetLife in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Values First Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of MetLife in the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MetLife in the fourth quarter valued at $44,000. Finally, Atala Financial Inc acquired a new stake in shares of MetLife in the fourth quarter valued at $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.99% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Barclays cut their price objective on MetLife from $96.00 to $95.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. TD Cowen upped their price objective on MetLife from $97.00 to $99.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of MetLife in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on MetLife from $100.00 to $98.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets started coverage on MetLife in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. They set 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 issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, MetLife presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $94.58.

MetLife Stock Performance

Shares of MET stock opened at $82.68 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.16 and a quick ratio of 0.16. MetLife, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $67.30 and a fifty-two week high of $89.05. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $83.44 and its two-hundred day moving average is $82.57. The firm has a market cap of $56.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.85, a PEG ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.04.

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

MetLife Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 4th were paid a dividend of $0.545 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 4th. This represents a $2.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.64%. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.