Cary Street Partners Financial LLC Invests $1.85 Million in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

Cary Street Partners Financial LLC bought a new stake in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 22,643 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,854,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. United Asset Strategies Inc. lifted its stake in shares of MetLife by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc. now owns 10,933 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $895,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the period. Barrett & Company Inc. lifted its stake in MetLife by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 11,942 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $978,000 after buying an additional 121 shares during the period. Eagle Strategies LLC boosted its holdings in shares of MetLife by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Eagle Strategies LLC now owns 2,707 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $222,000 after buying an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of MetLife by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 6,044 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $495,000 after buying an additional 126 shares during the period. Finally, Davis R M Inc. increased its stake in shares of MetLife by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Davis R M Inc. now owns 3,148 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $258,000 after acquiring an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.99% of the company's stock.

MetLife Stock Performance

MET stock opened at $76.51 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The firm has a market cap of $51.44 billion, a PE ratio of 12.82, a P/E/G ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 0.85. The business has a 50 day moving average of $77.51 and a 200-day moving average of $81.36. MetLife, Inc. has a 12-month low of $65.21 and a 12-month high of $89.05.

MetLife (NYSE:MET - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.00 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $18.57 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.06 billion. MetLife had a return on equity of 20.42% and a net margin of 6.19%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 15.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.83 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.65 earnings per share for the current year.

MetLife declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, April 30th that allows the company to repurchase $3.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to purchase up to 5.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

MetLife Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 6th will be issued a $0.5675 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 6th. This represents a $2.27 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.97%. This is a positive change from MetLife's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. MetLife's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.91%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on MET shares. Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of MetLife in a report on Friday, March 7th. StockNews.com raised MetLife from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on MetLife from $91.00 to $94.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on MetLife from $109.00 to $94.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of MetLife from $94.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $92.69.

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.

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