Peterson Financial Group Inc. Makes New Investment in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 368 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $30,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Abacus Planning Group Inc. lifted its holdings in MetLife by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Abacus Planning Group Inc. now owns 12,301 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,015,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. increased its position in MetLife by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 6,984 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $576,000 after buying an additional 136 shares during the period. Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of MetLife by 1.7% during the third quarter. Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. now owns 8,548 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $705,000 after buying an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. Greenleaf Trust boosted its position in shares of MetLife by 0.4% in the third quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 31,393 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,589,000 after acquiring an additional 139 shares during the period. Finally, Forum Financial Management LP grew its stake in shares of MetLife by 1.0% in the second quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 13,729 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $964,000 after acquiring an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. 89.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. Bank of America dropped their price objective on shares of MetLife from $99.00 to $96.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of MetLife from $91.00 to $90.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. StockNews.com raised MetLife from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on MetLife from $83.00 to $89.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on MetLife from $89.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $88.46.

MetLife Stock Up 0.9 %

MET stock opened at $83.33 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $81.60 and a 200-day moving average price of $75.59. MetLife, Inc. has a 12 month low of $61.61 and a 12 month high of $86.94. 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 capitalization of $57.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 1.05.

MetLife Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 5th will be given a $0.545 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 5th. This represents a $2.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.62%. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio is currently 43.95%.

MetLife Company 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.