Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC Boosts Stake in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC increased its stake in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 5.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 22,771 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,157 shares during the period. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC’s holdings in MetLife were worth $1,864,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of MetLife by 244.4% during the 3rd 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 period. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. boosted its position in shares of MetLife by 131.9% during the 3rd quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. now owns 327 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 186 shares during the period. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC boosted its position in shares of MetLife by 374.3% during the 3rd quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 351 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 277 shares during the period. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in MetLife in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new position in MetLife in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.99% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of MetLife from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of MetLife from $86.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. 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 research report on Wednesday, November 27th. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of MetLife in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $97.00 price target for the company. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on shares of MetLife from $96.00 to $95.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, MetLife has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $91.08.

MetLife Price Performance

MetLife stock opened at $83.24 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $57.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $83.64 and a 200-day simple moving average of $80.93. MetLife, Inc. has a 12-month low of $67.04 and a 12-month high of $89.05. The company has a current ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $2.08 earnings per share 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%. Equities analysts expect that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 4th will be given a $0.545 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 4th. This represents a $2.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.62%. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.52%.

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.