Golden State Wealth Management LLC Invests $44,000 in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 539 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $44,000.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MET. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of MetLife by 244.4% during the 3rd quarter. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC now owns 310 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares in the last quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. boosted its stake in MetLife by 131.9% during the third quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. now owns 327 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC increased its holdings in MetLife by 374.3% in the 3rd quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 351 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 277 shares during the period. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of MetLife in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of MetLife during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. 94.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MetLife Price Performance

Shares of MET stock opened at $83.24 on Wednesday. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $57.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.94, a PEG ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 1.07. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $83.64 and its 200-day moving average is $80.93. MetLife, Inc. has a 1 year low of $67.04 and a 1 year high of $89.05.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 6.19% and a return on equity of 20.42%. Sell-side analysts forecast that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Shareholders 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 yield of 2.62%. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.52%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of MetLife from $96.00 to $95.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on MetLife in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $97.00 target price for the company. TD Cowen upped their price target on MetLife from $97.00 to $99.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on MetLife from $93.00 to $92.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of MetLife from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, MetLife currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $91.08.

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.