Norden Group LLC Has $212,000 Stock Position in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

Norden Group LLC lessened its holdings in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 58.2% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 3,209 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 4,471 shares during the quarter. Norden Group LLC’s holdings in MetLife were worth $212,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of MetLife during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Planned Solutions Inc. bought a new stake in MetLife during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Quintet Private Bank Europe S.A. acquired a new position in MetLife during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners bought a new position in shares of MetLife in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in shares of MetLife during the 3rd quarter worth $36,000. 89.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MET has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of MetLife from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 15th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on MetLife from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised MetLife from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $70.00 to $80.00 in a report on Monday, January 8th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on MetLife from $87.00 to $82.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of MetLife from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $79.23.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Ramy Tadros sold 4,026 shares of MetLife stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.90, for a total value of $289,469.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 146,981 shares in the company, valued at $10,567,933.90. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Bill Pappas sold 27,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.27, for a total value of $1,951,290.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 57,768 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,174,893.36. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Ramy Tadros sold 4,026 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.90, for a total value of $289,469.40. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 146,981 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,567,933.90. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.32% of the company’s stock.

MetLife Price Performance

MetLife stock opened at $71.87 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $71.61 and a 200 day simple moving average of $67.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.16 and a quick ratio of 0.16. The company has a market capitalization of $51.25 billion, a PE ratio of 39.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.03. MetLife, Inc. has a one year low of $48.95 and a one year high of $74.68.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 31st. The financial services provider reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.95 by ($0.02). MetLife had a net margin of 2.36% and a return on equity of 19.48%. The company had revenue of $18.72 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.07 billion. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that MetLife, Inc. will post 8.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 11th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 7th will be given a $0.545 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 6th. This is a positive change from MetLife’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. This represents a $2.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.03%. MetLife’s payout ratio is 113.66%.

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.