Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC Buys 1,173 Shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 4.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 26,517 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,173 shares during the period. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in MetLife were worth $1,754,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Eley Financial Management Inc raised its position in shares of MetLife by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Eley Financial Management Inc now owns 16,348 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,028,000 after buying an additional 168 shares during the period. Austin Private Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of MetLife by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. Austin Private Wealth LLC now owns 4,367 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $289,000 after acquiring an additional 170 shares during the period. KLCM Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of MetLife by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. KLCM Advisors Inc. now owns 4,920 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $310,000 after buying an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. Highland Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of MetLife by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Highland Capital Management LLC now owns 61,738 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,083,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. Finally, RFG Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in MetLife by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 5,924 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $392,000 after acquiring an additional 181 shares in the last quarter. 89.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of MetLife from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $70.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Monday, January 8th. UBS Group cut their price target on MetLife from $87.00 to $82.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 5th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on MetLife from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on MetLife from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 15th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their price objective on MetLife from $74.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $79.23.

Insider Activity at MetLife

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

MetLife Trading Up 0.2 %

MetLife stock traded up $0.12 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $72.34. 775,969 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,497,558. MetLife, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $48.95 and a fifty-two week high of $74.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.47, a PEG ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 1.04. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $71.28 and its 200-day moving average is $67.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a current ratio of 0.16.

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

MetLife Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 11th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.545 per share. This is a boost from MetLife’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. This represents a $2.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.01%. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio is presently 113.66%.

About MetLife

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.