Kestra Advisory Services LLC Grows Holdings in MetLife, Inc. $MET

Kestra Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 15.3% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 115,284 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 15,340 shares during the quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in MetLife were worth $8,153,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MET. Activest Wealth Management boosted its stake in shares of MetLife by 205.8% in the 4th quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 315 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 212 shares during the last quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC increased its position in shares of MetLife by 790.0% during the third quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 356 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 316 shares during the last quarter. Garton & Associates Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MetLife during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 142 shares during the period. Finally, Gunpowder Capital Management LLC dba Oliver Wealth Management bought a new position in MetLife in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Institutional investors own 94.99% of the company’s stock.

MetLife Price Performance

MET opened at $93.04 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $84.69 and a 200-day moving average price of $78.71. MetLife, Inc. has a twelve month low of $67.33 and a twelve month high of $93.16. 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 company has a market capitalization of $59.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.03, a PEG ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 0.78.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The financial services provider reported $2.42 EPS 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 analysts’ expectations of $19.49 billion. MetLife had a net margin of 4.66% and a return on equity of 22.60%. MetLife’s revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.96 EPS. Equities analysts expect that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.97 EPS for the current year.

MetLife Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 4th will be given a dividend of $0.5925 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 4th. This represents a $2.37 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio is currently 45.93%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Mizuho lifted their target price on MetLife from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of MetLife from $95.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of MetLife from $93.00 to $94.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of MetLife from $95.00 to $101.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of MetLife from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Monday, June 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MetLife currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $98.23.

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.