MUFG Securities EMEA plc Has $10.85 Million Position in MetLife, Inc. $MET

MUFG Securities EMEA plc grew its holdings in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 1,185.9% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 137,490 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 126,798 shares during the quarter. MUFG Securities EMEA plc’s holdings in MetLife were worth $10,853,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of MetLife by 12.1% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 72,555,335 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,727,518,000 after purchasing an additional 7,805,814 shares during the last quarter. Dodge & Cox grew its position in shares of MetLife by 0.9% in the third quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 53,659,664 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,419,947,000 after purchasing an additional 477,783 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in shares of MetLife by 1.5% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 12,572,807 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,035,622,000 after purchasing an additional 180,683 shares during the last quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of MetLife by 22.9% in the fourth quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 11,883,338 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $938,071,000 after purchasing an additional 2,211,315 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of MetLife in the fourth quarter valued at about $639,986,000. 94.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MetLife Stock Up 0.2%

NYSE MET opened at $82.83 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 $76.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $76.85. The company has a market capitalization of $53.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.05, a PEG ratio of 0.62 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The financial services provider reported $2.42 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $14.18 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.96 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.96 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. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.5925 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 12th. This is a positive change from MetLife’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. This represents a $2.37 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. TD Cowen lowered their price target on MetLife from $91.00 to $88.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Barclays lifted their target price on MetLife from $89.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Mizuho set a $95.00 target price on MetLife in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on MetLife from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, Evercore set a $96.00 target price on MetLife in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $95.31.

About MetLife

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.