FUKOKU MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE Co Trims Stock Holdings in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

FUKOKU MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE Co lowered its stake in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 0.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 447,228 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,024 shares during the period. MetLife makes up 2.6% of FUKOKU MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE Co’s portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest position. FUKOKU MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE Co owned approximately 0.06% of MetLife worth $36,619,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC increased 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 acquiring an additional 220 shares during the last quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. boosted its stake in MetLife by 131.9% in the 3rd quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. now owns 327 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 186 shares during the period. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in MetLife in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new stake in MetLife in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in shares of MetLife during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Institutional investors own 94.99% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on MetLife from $92.00 to $97.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. StockNews.com downgraded MetLife from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. TD Cowen upped their target price on MetLife from $97.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on MetLife in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $97.00 price target for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on MetLife from $86.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $92.58.

MetLife Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:MET opened at $82.46 on Thursday. MetLife, Inc. has a 1 year low of $67.30 and a 1 year high of $89.05. The company has a market cap of $57.10 billion, a PE ratio of 13.81, a P/E/G ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.16 and a quick ratio of 0.16. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $83.48 and its 200 day moving average is $81.70.

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

MetLife Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 4th will be given 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 2.64%. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.52%.

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.