Clearbridge Investments LLC Grows Position in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its position in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 43.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,663,177 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,723,461 shares during the quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC’s holdings in MetLife were worth $463,701,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MET. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in MetLife by 14.8% during the 3rd quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,899 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $322,000 after acquiring an additional 502 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of MetLife by 59.5% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 906 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $75,000 after acquiring an additional 338 shares in the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its holdings in MetLife by 3.1% during the third quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 22,294 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,839,000 after purchasing an additional 671 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in MetLife by 5.4% in the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Glenmede Trust Co. NA increased its position in MetLife by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 27,626 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,279,000 after purchasing an additional 809 shares during the period. 94.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MetLife Stock Down 4.6 %

NYSE MET opened at $79.19 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $83.29 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $82.89. The stock has a market cap of $53.95 billion, a PE ratio of 13.27, a P/E/G ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.04. MetLife, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $67.30 and a fifty-two week high of $89.05.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last released its 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 4th were paid a dividend of $0.545 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 4th. This represents a $2.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.75%. MetLife’s payout ratio is 36.52%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on MET shares. StockNews.com downgraded MetLife from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Barclays lowered their price target 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. Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of MetLife in a research note on Friday, March 7th. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of MetLife in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $97.00 target price for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on MetLife from $86.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $94.58.

MetLife 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.