Ritholtz Wealth Management Has $1.07 Million Stock Position in MetLife, Inc. $MET

Ritholtz Wealth Management lowered its stake in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 44.5% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 15,147 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 12,163 shares during the period. Ritholtz Wealth Management’s holdings in MetLife were worth $1,071,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in MetLife in the 4th quarter worth about $639,986,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in MetLife by 12.1% in the fourth 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 last quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC raised its stake in MetLife by 22.9% in 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. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of MetLife by 105.3% in the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 3,305,620 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $271,424,000 after purchasing an additional 1,695,563 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in MetLife by 173.4% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,641,253 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $135,190,000 after acquiring an additional 1,040,894 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.99% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting MetLife

Here are the key news stories impacting MetLife this week:

• Positive Sentiment: MetLife Stadium is hosting major World Cup activity, including packed matches, celebrity appearances, and heavy media coverage, which keeps the MetLife name in front of a global audience and may support brand awareness. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Local business activity around World Cup events at MetLife Stadium suggests strong demand tied to the venue, reinforcing the stadium’s role as a major event destination and potentially benefiting MetLife’s public profile. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports say fewer people than expected are taking trains and buses to MetLife Stadium for a World Cup match, which may indicate softer-than-hoped transit traffic but does not directly affect MetLife’s insurance business. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Several articles highlight criticism of MetLife Stadium’s turf and field conditions during World Cup play, which could create negative publicity around the MetLife name even though it is tied to the venue rather than the company’s core operations. Article Title

MetLife Stock Performance

Shares of MET opened at $86.07 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.20 and a quick ratio of 0.20. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $82.10 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $78.08. MetLife, Inc. has a one year low of $67.33 and a one year high of $89.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.38 billion, a PE ratio of 16.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 0.78.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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. 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 firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.96 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that MetLife, Inc. will post 10 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 12th were paid a $0.5925 dividend. This is a boost from MetLife’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. This represents a $2.37 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 12th. MetLife’s payout ratio is currently 45.93%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on MetLife from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of MetLife from $87.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Bank of America reduced their target price on MetLife from $103.00 to $99.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on MetLife from $95.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of MetLife from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. One research 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $95.62.

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.