Sowell Financial Services LLC Buys 710 Shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

Sowell Financial Services LLC lifted its stake in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 1.4% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 53,146 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 710 shares during the period. Sowell Financial Services LLC’s holdings in MetLife were worth $4,352,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MET. United Asset Strategies Inc. grew its holdings in MetLife by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc. now owns 10,933 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $895,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. grew its position in shares of MetLife by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 11,942 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $978,000 after buying an additional 121 shares during the last quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of MetLife by 1.3% during the third quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 9,464 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $781,000 after buying an additional 123 shares during the period. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of MetLife by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 6,044 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $495,000 after acquiring an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Commonwealth Financial Corp PA lifted its stake in MetLife by 0.8% in the third quarter. First Commonwealth Financial Corp PA now owns 16,675 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,375,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.99% of the company’s stock.

MetLife Stock Performance

MET stock opened at $82.28 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $83.72 and its 200 day simple moving average is $82.28. The company has a current ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. MetLife, Inc. has a 12-month low of $67.30 and a 12-month high of $89.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $56.05 billion, a PE ratio of 13.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.04.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $2.08 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.13 by ($0.05). MetLife had a net margin of 6.19% and a return on equity of 20.42%. As a group, research analysts forecast that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 4th will be issued a dividend of $0.545 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 4th. This represents a $2.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.65%. MetLife’s payout ratio is 36.52%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on MET. StockNews.com cut shares of MetLife from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Barclays cut their price objective on MetLife from $96.00 to $95.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on MetLife in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $97.00 target price for the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on MetLife from $100.00 to $98.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price objective on MetLife from $97.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, MetLife currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $94.58.

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.