Bank of Montreal Can Increases Stake in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

Bank of Montreal Can raised its holdings in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 5.5% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 901,340 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 47,117 shares during the quarter. Bank of Montreal Can’s holdings in MetLife were worth $74,343,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Swedbank AB purchased a new stake in MetLife during the 1st quarter valued at about $131,456,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of MetLife by 7,837.0% in the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,129,353 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $79,250,000 after purchasing an additional 1,115,124 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in MetLife by 22.4% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,396,274 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $378,799,000 after buying an additional 988,666 shares in the last quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. boosted its stake in MetLife by 79.1% during the third quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 1,726,209 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $142,378,000 after buying an additional 762,291 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Public Sector Pension Investment Board grew its holdings in MetLife by 347.4% in the 2nd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 432,887 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,384,000 after buying an additional 336,127 shares in the last quarter. 89.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on MET shares. Barclays reduced their price target on MetLife from $91.00 to $90.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of MetLife from $86.00 to $85.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 19th. Bank of America decreased their price objective on MetLife from $99.00 to $96.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective 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 increased their price target on MetLife from $92.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $88.46.

MetLife Stock Performance

Shares of MetLife stock opened at $87.77 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $82.87 and a 200-day simple moving average of $76.29. The company has a market cap of $60.77 billion, a PE ratio of 17.70, a P/E/G ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.05. MetLife, Inc. has a one year low of $62.81 and a one year high of $87.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a current ratio of 0.16.

MetLife Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 5th will be issued a $0.545 dividend. This represents a $2.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.48%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 5th. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.95%.

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.