BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S Buys 5,815 Shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S increased its stake in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET - Free Report) by 26.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 27,663 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 5,815 shares during the period. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S's holdings in MetLife were worth $2,265,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MET. Anchor Investment Management LLC raised its stake in MetLife by 12.5% in the third quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 6,115 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $504,000 after buying an additional 681 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in MetLife in the third quarter worth about $336,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in MetLife in the third quarter worth about $701,000. Tidal Investments LLC grew its holdings in MetLife by 3.9% in the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 19,282 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,590,000 after purchasing an additional 718 shares during the period. Finally, Synovus Financial Corp grew its holdings in MetLife by 5.5% in the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 22,720 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,874,000 after purchasing an additional 1,183 shares during the period. 94.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

MetLife Stock Performance

NYSE:MET traded down $0.63 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $75.23. The company had a trading volume of 3,030,347 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,409,154. 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 $65.21 and a 52 week high of $89.05. The firm has a market cap of $51.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.60, a PEG ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 0.89. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $78.35 and its 200-day moving average price is $81.78.

MetLife (NYSE:MET - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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 return on equity of 20.42% and a net margin of 6.19%. On average, analysts forecast that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.65 EPS for the current year.

MetLife Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.5675 per share. This represents a $2.27 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 6th. This is a positive change from MetLife's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. MetLife's payout ratio is currently 38.02%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on MET. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of MetLife in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $97.00 price objective on the stock. Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of MetLife in a report on Friday, March 7th. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of MetLife from $95.00 to $88.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of MetLife from $109.00 to $94.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of MetLife from $97.00 to $91.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $92.46.

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.