Empirical Finance LLC Purchases 318 Shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

Empirical Finance LLC boosted its holdings in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 22,405 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 318 shares during the period. Empirical Finance LLC’s holdings in MetLife were worth $1,848,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MET. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of MetLife by 244.4% during the 3rd quarter. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC now owns 310 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares in the last quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. raised its holdings in MetLife by 131.9% during the third quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. now owns 327 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC lifted its position in shares of MetLife by 374.3% in the third quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 351 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 277 shares during the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its stake in shares of MetLife by 177.3% during the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 416 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 266 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of MetLife by 37.0% during the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 533 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares during the last quarter. 89.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MetLife Stock Performance

NYSE MET opened at $83.33 on Friday. MetLife, Inc. has a twelve month low of $61.61 and a twelve month high of $86.94. The stock has a market cap of $57.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.80, a PEG ratio of 0.74 and a beta of 1.05. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $81.60 and its 200 day simple moving average is $75.56. The company has a quick ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51.

MetLife Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.545 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 5th. This represents a $2.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.62%. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio is currently 43.95%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MET has been the subject of several analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded MetLife from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Barclays cut their target price on shares of MetLife from $91.00 to $90.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on MetLife from $92.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. TD Cowen assumed coverage on MetLife in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $97.00 target price for the company. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on MetLife from $89.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $88.46.

MetLife Company 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.