National Pension Service Raises Holdings in MetLife, Inc. $MET

National Pension Service increased its stake in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 5.8% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 1,052,735 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 57,466 shares during the period. National Pension Service’s holdings in MetLife were worth $83,103,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Trustmark Bank Trust Department lifted its holdings in MetLife by 4.6% during the 3rd quarter. Trustmark Bank Trust Department now owns 2,870 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $236,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in MetLife by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 7,040 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $580,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its holdings in MetLife by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 13,908 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,146,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH lifted its holdings in MetLife by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH now owns 30,431 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,402,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bridgewater Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in MetLife by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. now owns 4,113 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $315,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.99% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. 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. UBS Group increased their price objective on MetLife from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Mizuho set a $95.00 price objective on MetLife in a report on Friday, May 8th. Wall Street Zen cut MetLife from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their price objective on MetLife from $91.00 to $88.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, MetLife has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $95.31.

MetLife Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MET opened at $82.83 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $53.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.05, a P/E/G ratio of 0.62 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a quick ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 0.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $76.49 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $76.85. MetLife, Inc. has a twelve month low of $67.33 and a twelve month high of $85.29.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The financial services provider reported $2.42 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $14.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.49 billion. MetLife had a return on equity of 22.60% and a net margin of 4.66%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.96 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 12th will be paid a $0.5925 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 12th. This represents a $2.37 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. This is an increase from MetLife’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio is currently 45.93%.

Trending Headlines about MetLife

Here are the key news stories impacting MetLife this week:

• Positive Sentiment: MetLife announced an expansion of its guaranteed retirement income lineup with a new flexible annuity option, which could support sales growth and reinforce its core insurance/retirement franchise. MetLife Expands Guaranteed Retirement Income Offering with Innovative Flexible Annuity Option
• Positive Sentiment: MetLife also added liquidity to an annuity product, another sign it is trying to make its retirement offerings more attractive to customers seeking flexibility and access to funds. MetLife Adds Liquidity To Annuity As Stock Trades Below Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: DOWLING & PARTN issued earnings estimates for MetLife above or near the Street for the next several years, including FY2027 EPS of $10.75 and FY2028 EPS of $12.00, reinforcing confidence in long-term profit growth.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several headlines mentioning “MetLife” were unrelated to the insurer and referred to MetLife Stadium or World Cup coverage, so they are unlikely to materially affect the stock.
• Negative Sentiment: A report that MetLife is clashing with Ares over a struggling football investment could raise some concern about a specific investment exposure, but it appears secondary to the more important product and earnings news. MetLife clashes with Ares over struggling football investment

MetLife Company 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.