Boston, MA 05/30/2014 (wallstreetpr) – Metlife Inc (NYSE:MET) and Transamerica Corp have reached separate agreements with the State of Minnesota in which the companies will pay rightful proceeds from life insurance to Minnesota beneficiaries. As part of the agreement, the Minnesota Department of Commerce urged Metlife and its fellow insurance provider Transamerica to improve their procedures so that they can channel proceeds to beneficiaries that have not been compensated.
Additionally, Metlife Inc (NYSE:MET) has been asked to pay $1.5 million to the state as part of the settlement. Transamerica will on its part pay the state $2.5 million.
Schlumberger Limited. (NYSE:SLB) recently boosted its dividend and will pay 4 cents per share, suggesting 28 percent increase from the dividend amount paid in a year ago. The newly declared dividend will be paid on June 11, and the stock will start ex-dividend trading on June 2. As such, shareholders to acquire shares of the company, prior to the ex-dividend date, will qualify for the dividend payment.
Schlumberger last reported its financial performance on April 17, during which the company announced mixed results. Earnings per share for the quarter were $1.21, ahead of the consensus estimate of $1.20. However, revenue fell short of expectation to come at $11.24 billion against the consensus estimate of $11.49 billion. Inasmuch as the company reported mixed results considering the estimates, results in the latest quarter were better than a year ago. The company looks to continued focus on costs and expenses reduction to support bottom-line improvement.
Prospect Capital Corporation (NASDAQ:PSEC) is working hard to win shareholder confidence considering that the stock has withered more than 10 percent since the beginning of 2014. That is despite the recovery taking place in the financial services space that has lifted many of its competitors.
In the efforts aimed at sending a message to the shareholders that all is well, PSEC announced a boost to its monthly dividend. It will pay $0.1104 per share on June 19 to shareholders who acquired the stock before May 30. The newly declared monthly dividend show a departure from $0.11 per share paid to shareholders in the previous month.
