Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Has $25.08 Million Position in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET - Free Report) by 455.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 306,352 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 251,238 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in MetLife were worth $25,084,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MET. United Asset Strategies Inc. increased its position in shares of MetLife by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc. now owns 10,933 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $895,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. grew 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 worth $978,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Strategies LLC grew its stake in MetLife by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Eagle Strategies LLC now owns 2,707 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $222,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. grew its stake in MetLife by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 6,044 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $495,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Davis R M Inc. grew its stake in MetLife by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Davis R M Inc. now owns 3,148 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $258,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. 94.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on MetLife from $91.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on MetLife from $88.00 to $86.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. StockNews.com upgraded MetLife from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Barclays decreased their target price on MetLife from $95.00 to $88.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on MetLife in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $97.00 target price for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MetLife currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $92.69.

MetLife Stock Down 1.5%

Shares of MetLife stock traded down $1.23 on Wednesday, hitting $79.93. 2,561,287 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,406,704. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $76.97 and a 200 day moving average price of $81.17. 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, Inc. has a 12-month low of $65.21 and a 12-month high of $89.05. The company has a market cap of $53.66 billion, a PE ratio of 13.39, a PEG ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 0.85.

MetLife (NYSE:MET - Get Free Report) last posted 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). MetLife had a net margin of 6.19% and a return on equity of 20.42%. The company had revenue of $18.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $18.06 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.83 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 15.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.65 earnings per share for the current year.

MetLife Increases Dividend

The firm 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 is a boost from MetLife's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.27 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.84%. MetLife's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.91%.

MetLife announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Wednesday, April 30th that allows the company to repurchase $3.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to repurchase up to 5.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

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.