Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Acquires 15,251 Shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its holdings in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 285,514 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 15,251 shares during the quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio’s holdings in MetLife were worth $23,549,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in 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 buying an additional 220 shares in the last quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. grew its stake 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 acquiring an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC grew its stake in MetLife by 374.3% during the third quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 351 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 277 shares in the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in MetLife in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its stake in MetLife by 177.3% in the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 416 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 266 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.81% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on MET shares. TD Cowen lifted their target price on MetLife from $97.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. StockNews.com raised MetLife from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on MetLife from $89.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of MetLife from $92.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of MetLife from $86.00 to $85.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 19th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $88.62.

MetLife Stock Down 3.5 %

Shares of NYSE MET opened at $82.27 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $56.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.59, a PEG ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 1.06. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $83.78 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $77.13. MetLife, Inc. has a 1 year low of $64.17 and a 1 year high of $89.05. 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 firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 5th will be given a $0.545 dividend. This represents a $2.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.65%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 5th. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.95%.

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.