50,668 Shares in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) Bought by University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co.

University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. bought a new position in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 50,668 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $4,149,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Transce3nd LLC bought a new stake in MetLife in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of MetLife in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MetLife during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Graney & King LLC bought a new position in shares of MetLife in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Values First Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in MetLife in the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Institutional investors own 94.99% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on MET. Cowen reissued a "buy" rating on shares of MetLife in a research note on Friday, March 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on MetLife from $88.00 to $86.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of MetLife from $94.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, May 19th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of MetLife from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on MetLife from $95.00 to $88.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $94.17.

MetLife Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of NYSE MET traded down $0.56 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $78.47. 810,154 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,608,269. MetLife, Inc. has a 1 year low of $65.21 and a 1 year high of $89.05. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $76.70 and a 200 day moving average of $81.06. The stock has a market cap of $52.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.14, a P/E/G ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a quick ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54.

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

MetLife Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.5675 per share. 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. This represents a $2.27 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.89%. MetLife's payout ratio is 36.91%.

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

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.