Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC Invests $281,000 in MetLife, Inc. $MET

Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 3,493 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $281,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Generali Investments Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych boosted its position in shares of MetLife by 10.5% during the 2nd quarter. Generali Investments Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych now owns 2,100 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $169,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in MetLife by 14.7% during the second quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,813 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $146,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares during the last quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in MetLife by 5.5% in the second quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 272,064 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $21,879,000 after purchasing an additional 14,073 shares in the last quarter. 180 Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in MetLife by 35.1% in the second quarter. 180 Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,016 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $403,000 after purchasing an additional 1,304 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. acquired a new stake in MetLife during the second quarter worth approximately $231,000. 94.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MetLife Stock Performance

NYSE MET opened at $78.71 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $52.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.34, a P/E/G ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.86. MetLife, Inc. has a 52-week low of $65.21 and a 52-week high of $89.05. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $80.37 and its 200 day moving average price is $78.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The financial services provider reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.32 by ($0.30). MetLife had a net margin of 5.83% and a return on equity of 19.88%. The company had revenue of $17.34 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.58 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.28 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.65 earnings per share for the current year.

MetLife Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 4th will be paid a $0.5675 dividend. This represents a $2.27 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 4th. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.47%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on MET shares. Wolfe Research raised shares of MetLife to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 16th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of MetLife from $100.00 to $103.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of MetLife in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on MetLife from $94.00 to $97.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of MetLife in a research note on Saturday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $95.18.

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.