6,440 MetLife, Inc. $MET Shares Acquired by Yousif Capital Management LLC

Yousif Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 10.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 70,662 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,440 shares during the period. Yousif Capital Management LLC’s holdings in MetLife were worth $6,654,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MET. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of MetLife during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $4,381,692,000. Pzena Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in MetLife during the second quarter worth $941,792,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in MetLife during the second quarter worth $455,424,000. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new stake in MetLife in the second quarter valued at $326,904,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in shares of MetLife in the 2nd quarter valued at about $293,287,000. 94.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on MET shares. Evercore reaffirmed a “mixed” rating on shares of MetLife in a report on Monday, August 24th. UBS Group lifted their target price on MetLife from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on MetLife from $108.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Argus raised their price target on MetLife from $93.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 2nd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on shares of MetLife from $105.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $105.44.

MetLife Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MET opened at $98.86 on Monday. MetLife, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $67.33 and a fifty-two week high of $103.65. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $97.27 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $89.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.20 and a quick ratio of 0.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $63.61 billion, a PE ratio of 18.94, a P/E/G ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.78.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The financial services provider reported $2.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.30 by $0.13. MetLife had a net margin of 4.57% and a return on equity of 23.39%. The firm had revenue of $13.52 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.67 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.02 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MetLife declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, August 5th that permits the company to repurchase $3.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to buy up to 4.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

MetLife Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 8th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.5925 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 3rd. This represents a $2.37 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 45.40%.

About MetLife

MetLife, Inc (NYSE: MET) is a global financial services company that provides insurance, retirement, and employee benefits solutions to individuals, employers, and institutions. Its offerings include life insurance, dental and vision coverage, accident and disability insurance, annuities, retirement savings products, and related financial services.

Through its institutional and workplace businesses, MetLife helps employers provide benefits and retirement programs to their employees. The company also serves individual customers with protection and income products.