National Pension Service Acquires 176,311 Shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

National Pension Service boosted its holdings in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 13.0% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 1,534,390 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 176,311 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service’s holdings in MetLife were worth $126,556,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. 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 worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 186 shares during the period. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC boosted its position in shares of MetLife by 374.3% during the 3rd quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 351 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 277 shares during the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its position in shares of MetLife by 177.3% during the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 416 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 266 shares during the last quarter. Bank & Trust Co bought a new position in shares of MetLife during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of MetLife by 602.5% during the 2nd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 562 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 482 shares during the last quarter. 89.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on MET shares. Citigroup increased their target price on MetLife from $83.00 to $89.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on MetLife from $86.00 to $85.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 19th. TD Cowen initiated coverage on MetLife in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $97.00 target price on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on MetLife from $86.00 to $85.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 8th. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on MetLife from $91.00 to $90.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $88.38.

MetLife Trading Up 0.2 %

MET opened at $78.56 on Tuesday. MetLife, Inc. has a one year low of $58.89 and a one year high of $86.94. The company has a market cap of $55.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.84, a PEG ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a current ratio of 0.16. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $80.66 and its 200-day simple moving average is $74.98.

MetLife Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 5th will be given a $0.545 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 5th. This represents a $2.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.77%. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.95%.

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.