Swedbank AB Buys 1,496,645 Shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

Swedbank AB increased its position in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 76.0% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 3,466,808 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,496,645 shares during the quarter. Swedbank AB’s holdings in MetLife were worth $283,862,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

MetLife Stock Up 1.3 %

MET traded up $1.13 on Wednesday, reaching $86.81. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 300,878 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,386,720. The company has a quick ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. MetLife, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $64.61 and a fifty-two week high of $89.05. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $83.95 and a two-hundred day moving average of $80.30. The company has a market capitalization of $60.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.61, a P/E/G ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.07.

MetLife Dividend Announcement

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. This represents a $2.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 4th. MetLife’s payout ratio is 43.95%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on MET shares. StockNews.com lowered MetLife from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of MetLife from $97.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of MetLife from $93.00 to $92.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Barclays lifted their price target on MetLife from $90.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of MetLife from $86.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, MetLife has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $90.46.

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.