HB Wealth Management LLC Increases Stake in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

HB Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 53.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 20,420 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,135 shares during the period. HB Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in MetLife were worth $1,672,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Legal & General Group Plc grew its stake in shares of MetLife by 5.4% during the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 5,299,800 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $371,993,000 after buying an additional 269,246 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in MetLife by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 4,548,725 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $375,179,000 after acquiring an additional 68,579 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its stake in MetLife by 16.8% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 4,238,087 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $347,735,000 after purchasing an additional 608,224 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp lifted its position in shares of MetLife by 5.0% during the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 2,239,841 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $184,744,000 after purchasing an additional 105,762 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC boosted its stake in shares of MetLife by 5.4% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,209,119 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $182,208,000 after purchasing an additional 112,491 shares during the period. 94.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MetLife Trading Up 1.1 %

NYSE:MET opened at $86.83 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $83.41 and a 200 day moving average of $79.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. MetLife, Inc. has a 52 week low of $64.61 and a 52 week high of $89.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $60.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.51, a PEG ratio of 0.59 and a beta of 1.07.

MetLife Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Stockholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.51%. MetLife’s payout ratio is 43.95%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on MET shares. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of MetLife from $97.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of MetLife from $93.00 to $92.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on MetLife from $89.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. StockNews.com lowered MetLife from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on MetLife from $86.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $89.92.

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.