Aptus Capital Advisors LLC Purchases 498 Shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 4.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,885 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 498 shares during the period. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in MetLife were worth $898,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. National Bank of Canada FI increased its stake in shares of MetLife by 54.9% in the first quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 371,062 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,983,000 after buying an additional 131,538 shares during the period. PFG Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of MetLife by 8.9% during the third quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 6,360 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $525,000 after purchasing an additional 520 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of MetLife in the first quarter worth $1,053,000. M&G Plc acquired a new stake in MetLife in the second quarter valued at $2,346,000. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board raised its position in MetLife by 53.0% during the 1st quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 618,650 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $45,848,000 after purchasing an additional 214,367 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.81% of the company’s stock.

MetLife Stock Performance

Shares of MET opened at $82.60 on Friday. MetLife, Inc. has a one year low of $61.61 and a one year high of $86.94. The company has a market cap of $57.19 billion, a PE ratio of 16.65, a P/E/G ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 1.05. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $81.30 and a 200-day moving average of $75.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.16 and a quick ratio of 0.16.

MetLife Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.545 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 5th. This represents a $2.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.64%. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio is 43.95%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on MET shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on MetLife from $86.00 to $85.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 19th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of MetLife from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of MetLife from $89.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on shares of MetLife from $85.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on shares of MetLife from $91.00 to $90.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $88.46.

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.