Tredje AP fonden Boosts Stock Holdings in MetLife, Inc. $MET

Tredje AP fonden increased its stake in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 6.5% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 485,366 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 29,677 shares during the quarter. Tredje AP fonden’s holdings in MetLife were worth $38,315,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Activest Wealth Management increased its holdings in MetLife by 205.8% during the 4th quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 315 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 212 shares during the period. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of MetLife by 790.0% in the 3rd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 356 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 316 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its position in shares of MetLife by 58.9% during 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 in the last quarter. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of MetLife during the third quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Albion Financial Group UT purchased a new stake in shares of MetLife during the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. 94.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MetLife Stock Performance

Shares of MetLife stock opened at $81.40 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 0.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. MetLife, Inc. has a 52 week low of $67.33 and a 52 week high of $83.85. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $74.08 and its two-hundred day moving average is $76.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.78, a P/E/G ratio of 0.60 and a beta of 0.78.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The financial services provider reported $2.42 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.27 by $0.15. MetLife had a net margin of 4.66% and a return on equity of 22.60%. The business had revenue of $14.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.49 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.96 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 represents a $2.37 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. This is a boost from MetLife’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 12th. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio is presently 45.93%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of MetLife from $91.00 to $88.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of MetLife from $95.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of MetLife from $103.00 to $99.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of MetLife from $89.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on MetLife from $101.00 to $93.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MetLife presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.