Simmons Bank Reduces Position in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

Simmons Bank lowered its position in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 11.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,421 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 432 shares during the period. Simmons Bank’s holdings in MetLife were worth $280,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. CX Institutional lifted its position in shares of MetLife by 15.9% during the 4th quarter. CX Institutional now owns 68,005 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,568,000 after buying an additional 9,337 shares during the last quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new position in MetLife in the 3rd quarter valued at about $2,960,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in MetLife by 48,101.4% during the 3rd quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 106,043 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $8,746,000 after acquiring an additional 105,823 shares during the period. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC purchased a new position in shares of MetLife in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,074,000. Finally, Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of MetLife in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $259,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.99% of the company’s stock.

MetLife Stock Performance

NYSE MET opened at $84.08 on Friday. MetLife, Inc. has a twelve month low of $67.30 and a twelve month high of $89.05. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $83.56 and its 200 day moving average price is $81.72. The company has a current ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The company has a market capitalization of $58.22 billion, a PE ratio of 14.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.07.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $2.08 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.13 by ($0.05). MetLife had a return on equity of 20.42% and a net margin of 6.19%. On average, research analysts predict that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.65 earnings per share for the current year.

MetLife Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 4th will be paid a $0.545 dividend. This represents a $2.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.59%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 4th. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.52%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on MET shares. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on MetLife in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $97.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com downgraded MetLife from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. Barclays decreased their price target on MetLife from $96.00 to $95.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. TD Cowen raised their price target on MetLife from $97.00 to $99.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of MetLife from $86.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $92.58.

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.