MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) Shares Bought by Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC

Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 2.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 792,878 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 19,251 shares during the period. MetLife comprises about 1.6% of Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 17th largest position. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC owned 0.11% of MetLife worth $64,921,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MET. TIAA Trust National Association increased its stake in MetLife by 8.7% in the fourth quarter. TIAA Trust National Association now owns 9,855 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $807,000 after purchasing an additional 788 shares during the period. Modern Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in MetLife by 39.1% during the 4th quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,560 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $628,000 after acquiring an additional 2,124 shares during the last quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new stake in MetLife during the 4th quarter worth approximately $422,000. CoreFirst Bank & Trust purchased a new position in shares of MetLife in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $259,000. Finally, Interchange Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of MetLife in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $224,000. 94.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MetLife Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MET opened at $84.15 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $83.52 and its two-hundred day moving average is $82.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $57.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.10, a PEG ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.04. 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 52 week low of $67.30 and a 52 week high of $89.05.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $2.08 earnings per share 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%. Analysts anticipate that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.65 earnings per share for the current year.

MetLife Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 4th were given a dividend of $0.545 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 4th. This represents a $2.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.59%. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.52%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of MetLife from $97.00 to $99.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of MetLife in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of MetLife from $92.00 to $97.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Barclays dropped their target price on MetLife from $96.00 to $95.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on MetLife from $100.00 to $98.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MetLife has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.