MetLife, Inc. $MET Stock Holdings Cut by Hantz Financial Services Inc.

Hantz Financial Services Inc. cut its stake in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 5.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 157,121 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 9,584 shares during the quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in MetLife were worth $12,403,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of MET. Activest Wealth Management boosted its position in shares of MetLife by 205.8% in the fourth quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 315 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 212 shares during the period. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its position in shares of MetLife by 790.0% in the third quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 356 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 316 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its position in shares of MetLife by 58.9% in the fourth quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 383 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the period. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MetLife in the third quarter worth $32,000. Finally, JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MetLife in the third quarter worth $33,000. 94.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

MetLife Stock Down 0.1%

NYSE MET opened at $83.97 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $75.05 and its two-hundred day moving average is $76.65. The company has a market capitalization of $54.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.27, a PEG ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 0.78. MetLife, Inc. has a 1-year low of $67.33 and a 1-year high of $85.29.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The financial services provider reported $2.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.15. MetLife had a net margin of 4.66% and a return on equity of 22.60%. The company had revenue of $14.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.49 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.96 earnings per share. MetLife’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 12th will be given a $0.5925 dividend. This is a boost from MetLife’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 12th. This represents a $2.37 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio is presently 45.93%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on MET shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded MetLife from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on MetLife from $87.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on MetLife from $89.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Mizuho set a $95.00 target price on MetLife in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on MetLife from $89.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MetLife presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $95.15.

MetLife Profile

MetLife, Inc is a global provider of insurance, annuities and employee benefit programs. Headquartered in New York City, the company offers a range of risk protection and retirement solutions to individuals, employers and institutional clients. Its core businesses include life insurance, group benefits, retirement products such as annuities, and supplemental health products including dental and disability coverage.

In addition to traditional life and group insurance, MetLife provides workplace benefits and voluntary products distributed through employer-sponsored programs.