MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) Shares Sold by Capital Asset Advisory Services LLC

Capital Asset Advisory Services LLC lowered its stake in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 1.4% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 9,863 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 137 shares during the period. Capital Asset Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in MetLife were worth $811,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MET. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in shares of MetLife by 26.7% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 9,910 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $817,000 after buying an additional 2,088 shares during the last quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in MetLife in the fourth quarter valued at $259,000. PFG Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of MetLife by 19.8% during the fourth quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 7,621 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $624,000 after purchasing an additional 1,261 shares during the last quarter. Stablepoint Partners LLC increased its position in shares of MetLife by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Stablepoint Partners LLC now owns 57,317 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,693,000 after purchasing an additional 247 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Precedent Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of MetLife by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Precedent Wealth Partners LLC now owns 17,126 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,402,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.99% of the company’s stock.

MetLife Stock Up 1.1 %

MetLife stock opened at $86.97 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $83.81 and its 200 day moving average price is $80.11. MetLife, Inc. has a 1-year low of $64.61 and a 1-year high of $89.05. The company has a market cap of $60.22 billion, a PE ratio of 17.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.16 and a quick ratio of 0.16.

MetLife Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 4th will be paid 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 dividend yield of 2.51%. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.95%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on MET shares. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on MetLife in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $97.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped 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. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of MetLife from $90.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of MetLife from $93.00 to $92.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, StockNews.com cut MetLife from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.