Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Sells 73,738 Shares of MetLife, Inc. $MET

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. decreased its position in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 5.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,259,372 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 73,738 shares during the period. Epoch Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings in MetLife were worth $99,415,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in MetLife by 12.1% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 72,555,335 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,727,518,000 after buying an additional 7,805,814 shares during the period. Dodge & Cox increased its position in MetLife by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 53,659,664 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,419,947,000 after buying an additional 477,783 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in MetLife by 1.5% in the 3rd 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 acquiring an additional 180,683 shares in the last quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of MetLife by 22.9% during the 4th quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 11,883,338 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $938,071,000 after acquiring an additional 2,211,315 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of MetLife during the 4th quarter worth $639,986,000. Institutional investors own 94.99% of the company’s stock.

MetLife Stock Performance

MetLife stock opened at $88.69 on Friday. MetLife, Inc. has a 12-month low of $67.33 and a 12-month high of $89.44. 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 business’s 50-day moving average price is $79.55 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $77.40. The stock has a market cap of $57.07 billion, a PE ratio of 17.19, a P/E/G ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 0.78.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last released 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 return on equity of 22.60% and a net margin of 4.66%.The firm had revenue of $14.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.49 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.96 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 12th were given a $0.5925 dividend. This is a boost from MetLife’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. This represents a $2.37 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 12th. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.93%.

MetLife News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting MetLife this week:

• Positive Sentiment: MetLife expanded its settlement solutions business with a new deferred-payment offering for non-physical injury claims, suggesting continued product innovation and growth opportunities in a specialized insurance segment. MetLife Broadens Settlement Solutions Portfolio With NQA-FA
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts continue to view MetLife favorably, with a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy,” which can help reinforce investor confidence in the stock. MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on MET. Piper Sandler raised their price target on MetLife from $81.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. Bank of America decreased their price target on MetLife from $103.00 to $99.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on MetLife from $87.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. UBS Group raised their price target on MetLife from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Mizuho set a $95.00 price target on MetLife in a research report on Friday, May 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MetLife currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $95.31.

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.