MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) Shares Acquired by ING Groep NV

ING Groep NV increased its stake in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 573.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 30,811 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 26,238 shares during the period. ING Groep NV’s holdings in MetLife were worth $2,523,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in MetLife by 7.6% during the 4th quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 30,347 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,485,000 after purchasing an additional 2,139 shares during the period. Sunpointe LLC acquired a new position in shares of MetLife during the fourth quarter worth about $273,000. Private Advisor Group LLC increased its stake in shares of MetLife by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 80,147 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,562,000 after buying an additional 367 shares during the period. Convergence Investment Partners LLC raised its holdings in MetLife by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Convergence Investment Partners LLC now owns 28,781 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,357,000 after acquiring an additional 1,190 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new position in MetLife in the fourth quarter worth approximately $82,000. 94.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MetLife Price Performance

MET stock opened at $81.02 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The company has a market capitalization of $56.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.57, a PEG ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.07. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $83.41 and a 200-day simple moving average of $81.44. MetLife, Inc. has a twelve month low of $67.30 and a twelve month high of $89.05.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $2.08 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.65 EPS for the current year.

MetLife Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 4th will be given a dividend of $0.545 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 4th. This represents a $2.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.69%. MetLife’s payout ratio is 36.52%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on MET shares. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of MetLife in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $97.00 price objective on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on MetLife from $100.00 to $98.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on MetLife from $92.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. StockNews.com downgraded MetLife from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their target price on MetLife from $97.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $92.58.

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.