UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC Has $399.94 Million Stake in MetLife, Inc. $MET

UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC trimmed its stake in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 2.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,981,230 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 131,878 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC’s holdings in MetLife were worth $399,943,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Csenge Advisory Group increased its position in shares of MetLife by 1.0% during the first quarter. Csenge Advisory Group now owns 13,647 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,096,000 after acquiring an additional 131 shares in the last quarter. Delta Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of MetLife by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. Delta Investment Management LLC now owns 14,265 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,145,000 after buying an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. increased its position in MetLife by 2.5% during the first quarter. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. now owns 6,463 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $519,000 after acquiring an additional 159 shares during the period. Unigestion Holding SA increased its position in MetLife by 0.7% during the first quarter. Unigestion Holding SA now owns 23,661 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,900,000 after acquiring an additional 165 shares during the period. Finally, Davis R M Inc. increased its holdings in MetLife by 5.3% in the 1st quarter. Davis R M Inc. now owns 3,315 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $266,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the period. 94.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MetLife Price Performance

NYSE MET opened at $79.32 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $78.21 and a 200-day moving average price of $78.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.44, a PEG ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.87. 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, Inc. has a 52 week low of $65.21 and a 52 week high of $89.05.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The financial services provider reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.58 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.28 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.65 earnings per share for the current year.

MetLife Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 5th were paid a dividend of $0.5675 per share. This represents a $2.27 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 5th. MetLife’s payout ratio is currently 38.47%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on MET. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on shares of MetLife from $94.00 to $92.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of MetLife from $86.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of MetLife from $98.00 to $94.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 18th. 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 report on Monday, August 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $97.00 price target (up from $94.00) on shares of MetLife in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $95.60.

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.