MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) Shares Sold by KBC Group NV

KBC Group NV reduced its stake in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 0.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,646,818 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 11,947 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in MetLife were worth $134,842,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in MetLife by 244.4% in the third 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 in the last quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. lifted its holdings in 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 buying an additional 186 shares during the last quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC grew its position in shares of MetLife by 374.3% in the 3rd quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 351 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 277 shares in the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of MetLife in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new position in MetLife during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Institutional investors own 94.99% of the company’s stock.

MetLife Price Performance

Shares of MetLife stock opened at $85.96 on Monday. MetLife, Inc. has a 52 week low of $64.61 and a 52 week 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 0.51. The stock has a market cap of $59.52 billion, a PE ratio of 17.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.07. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $83.81 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $80.05.

MetLife Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.545 per share. This represents a $2.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.54%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 4th. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio is presently 43.95%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on MET. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of MetLife from $86.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. StockNews.com lowered MetLife from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on MetLife in a report on Thursday. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $97.00 price target on the stock. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on MetLife from $85.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, TD Cowen raised their target price on MetLife from $97.00 to $99.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MetLife currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.