Generali Investments Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych Cuts Position in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

Generali Investments Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych lessened its holdings in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 9.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 1,900 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 200 shares during the quarter. Generali Investments Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych’s holdings in MetLife were worth $156,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in MetLife by 8.0% in the fourth quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 62,038 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,080,000 after purchasing an additional 4,572 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of MetLife in the fourth quarter worth approximately $15,129,000. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. lifted its stake in shares of MetLife by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 29,741 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,435,000 after buying an additional 1,249 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of MetLife by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 98,462 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $8,062,000 after buying an additional 1,913 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. lifted its stake in shares of MetLife by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. now owns 247,300 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $20,249,000 after buying an additional 4,800 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.99% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on MET shares. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of MetLife from $96.00 to $95.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of MetLife from $92.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of MetLife from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on shares of MetLife from $100.00 to $98.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, MetLife has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $92.58.

MetLife Price Performance

MET stock opened at $84.08 on Friday. MetLife, Inc. has a 12 month low of $67.30 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. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $83.56 and a 200 day moving average price of $81.72. The stock has a market cap of $58.22 billion, a PE ratio of 14.08, a P/E/G ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.07.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $2.08 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.13 by ($0.05). MetLife had a return on equity of 20.42% and a net margin of 6.19%. Equities research analysts anticipate that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.65 earnings per share 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 $0.545 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 4th. This represents a $2.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.59%. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.