Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Buys 767 Shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 0.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 256,007 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 767 shares during the quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in MetLife were worth $21,116,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Baker Tilly Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in MetLife by 34.8% in the 4th quarter. Baker Tilly Wealth Management LLC now owns 12,528 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,026,000 after buying an additional 3,233 shares during the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its position in shares of MetLife by 50.2% during the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 625 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $51,000 after acquiring an additional 209 shares during the last quarter. InvesTrust bought a new stake in MetLife during the fourth quarter worth $7,691,000. Diversified Trust Co boosted its position in MetLife by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 28,810 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,359,000 after purchasing an additional 534 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pensionfund Sabic grew its stake in MetLife by 32.3% in the 4th quarter. Pensionfund Sabic now owns 20,500 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,679,000 after purchasing an additional 5,000 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.99% of the company’s stock.

MetLife Price Performance

MET stock opened at $80.30 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $82.97 and a 200-day moving average of $78.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 1.07. MetLife, Inc. has a 12 month low of $64.61 and a 12 month high of $89.05. The company has a current ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51.

MetLife Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 4th will be given a dividend of $0.545 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 4th. This represents a $2.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.71%. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 43.95%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MET has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of MetLife from $97.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of MetLife from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on shares of MetLife from $85.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on MetLife from $89.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on MetLife from $92.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $90.00.

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.