Cetera Trust Company N.A Makes New $2.13 Million Investment in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

Cetera Trust Company N.A acquired a new position in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 32,147 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,126,000. MetLife comprises approximately 1.3% of Cetera Trust Company N.A's investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest holding.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MET. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MetLife during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. FWL Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MetLife during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Quintet Private Bank Europe S.A. acquired a new stake in shares of MetLife during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Planned Solutions Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of MetLife during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of MetLife during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.81% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on MET. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of MetLife from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of MetLife from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $70.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Monday, January 8th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of MetLife from $87.00 to $82.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 5th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of MetLife from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, April 15th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of MetLife from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $79.23.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other MetLife news, EVP Bill Pappas sold 27,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.27, for a total value of $1,951,290.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 57,768 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,174,893.36. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, insider Ramy Tadros sold 4,026 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.90, for a total value of $289,469.40. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 146,981 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,567,933.90. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Bill Pappas sold 27,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.27, for a total transaction of $1,951,290.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 57,768 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,174,893.36. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.32% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

MetLife Stock Up 1.7 %

MET stock traded up $1.16 during trading on Friday, reaching $71.11. The stock had a trading volume of 3,346,091 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,499,338. MetLife, Inc. has a 1-year low of $48.95 and a 1-year high of $74.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. The company has a market capitalization of $51.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.86, a PEG ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.04. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $71.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $66.86.

MetLife (NYSE:MET - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 31st. The financial services provider reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.95 by ($0.02). MetLife had a return on equity of 19.48% and a net margin of 2.36%. The firm had revenue of $18.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.07 billion. On average, equities analysts anticipate that MetLife, Inc. will post 8.71 earnings per share for the current year.

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.