Armis Advisers LLC Invests $279,000 in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

Armis Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm purchased 3,402 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $279,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MET. Ball & Co Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of MetLife during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Transce3nd LLC bought a new position in MetLife in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Quarry LP bought a new position in MetLife in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MetLife during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Graney & King LLC bought a new position in shares of MetLife during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.99% of the company's stock.

MetLife Trading Down 0.4%

NYSE MET traded down $0.34 during trading on Friday, hitting $78.52. 4,359,385 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,404,238. The firm has a market cap of $52.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.15, a PEG ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 0.85. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $76.40 and a two-hundred day moving average of $80.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.16 and a quick ratio of 0.16. 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 quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.00 by ($0.04). MetLife had a return on equity of 20.42% and a net margin of 6.19%. The company had revenue of $18.57 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.06 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.83 earnings per share. MetLife's quarterly revenue was up 15.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.65 EPS for the current year.

MetLife declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Wednesday, April 30th that allows the company to buyback $3.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to reacquire up to 5.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

MetLife Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced 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 2.89%. This is a boost from MetLife's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. MetLife's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.91%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded MetLife from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on MetLife from $88.00 to $86.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Barclays dropped their target price on MetLife from $95.00 to $88.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of MetLife in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on MetLife from $94.00 to $99.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $94.17.

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.