First Financial lowered its position in shares of Metlife Inc (NYSE:MET) by 2.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 11,084 shares of the company’s stock after selling 300 shares during the period. First Financial’s holdings in Metlife were worth $534,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MET. Northcoast Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Metlife during the third quarter valued at approximately $3,417,000. Mitchell Sinkler & Starr raised its stake in shares of Metlife by 6.6% in the fourth quarter. Mitchell Sinkler & Starr now owns 11,835 shares of the company’s stock valued at $571,000 after buying an additional 730 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates raised its stake in shares of Metlife by 4.7% in the third quarter. Jennison Associates now owns 5,723,736 shares of the company’s stock valued at $269,874,000 after buying an additional 257,690 shares in the last quarter. M. Kraus & Company raised its stake in shares of Metlife by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. M. Kraus & Company now owns 61,152 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,948,000 after buying an additional 1,655 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Indiana Trust & Investment Management Company raised its stake in shares of Metlife by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Indiana Trust & Investment Management Company now owns 36,040 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,950,000 after buying an additional 1,395 shares in the last quarter.

Shares of Metlife Inc (NYSE:MET) traded up 0.37% during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $43.42. 1,836,776 shares of the stock were exchanged. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $45.56 and its 200 day moving average is $49.71. Metlife Inc has a 52-week low of $40.77 and a 52-week high of $58.23. The firm has a market cap of $48.27 billion and a PE ratio of 8.41.

Metlife (NYSE:MET) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 4th. The company reported $0.62 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $0.76 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $17.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.77 billion. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.60 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Metlife Inc will post $5.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Several analysts have commented on MET shares. Vetr lowered shares of Metlife from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $52.84 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Monday, January 4th. Deutsche Bank reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $59.00 target price (down previously from $60.00) on shares of Metlife in a research note on Friday, November 6th. Janney Montgomery Scott started coverage on shares of Metlife in a research note on Thursday, January 14th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. They noted that the move was a valuation call. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Metlife from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $58.00 to $56.00 in a research note on Wednesday, November 11th. Finally, Zacks Investment Research downgraded shares of Metlife from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 30th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. The stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $55.87.

In other news, Director Kenton J. Sicchitano sold 9,503 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.78, for a total value of $482,562.34. Following the transaction, the director now owns 26,947 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,368,368.66. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Maria R. Morris sold 4,200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.23, for a total transaction of $215,166.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 89,275 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,573,558.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here.

MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) is a provider of life insurance, annuities, employee benefits and asset management. The Company’s segments include Retail; Group, Voluntary & Worksite Benefits, and Corporate Benefit Funding. Its three geographic segments are Latin America (collectively, the Americas); Asia, and Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). In addition, MetLife’s Corporate & Other includes MetLife Home Loans LLC (MLHL), the surviving, non-bank entity of the merger of MetLife Bank, National Association (MetLife Bank) with and into MLHL, and other business activities. Through its subsidiaries and affiliates, it operates in the United States, Japan, Latin America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. The Company‘s businesses in the Americas offer a range of protection products and services.

12 Month Chart for NYSE:MET

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