Collaborative Fund Advisors LLC Buys 5,513 Shares of MetLife, Inc. $MET

Collaborative Fund Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 5,513 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $519,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MET. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of MetLife during the 2nd quarter worth about $4,381,692,000. Pzena Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in MetLife during the second quarter worth approximately $941,792,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its holdings in MetLife by 5.9% in the second quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 6,026,518 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $509,904,000 after purchasing an additional 336,794 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in MetLife in the second quarter valued at approximately $455,424,000. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new position in MetLife in the second quarter valued at approximately $326,904,000. 94.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on MET shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on shares of MetLife from $105.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of MetLife from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of MetLife from $103.00 to $111.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 24th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of MetLife from $110.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of MetLife in a research report on Friday, September 11th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $105.44.

MetLife News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting MetLife this week:

• Positive Sentiment: MetLife reported adjusted earnings of $2.78 per share, just above the $2.77 consensus estimate and up from $2.34 a year earlier. MarketBeat earnings results
• Positive Sentiment: Revenue was $19.91 billion, slightly above the $19.86 billion expected and 18.2% higher year over year, pointing to solid top-line growth. MetLife Q3 sales
• Neutral Sentiment: The company also released its third-quarter results and earnings-call presentation, but the supplied reports do not provide additional outlook or guidance details that would clarify the next growth drivers. MetLife financial results announcement

MetLife Stock Up 2.2%

Shares of NYSE:MET opened at $102.84 on Thursday. MetLife, Inc. has a 1-year low of $67.33 and a 1-year high of $103.65. The stock has a market cap of $66.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.70, a P/E/G ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.79. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $98.05 and a 200 day moving average price of $86.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.20 and a quick ratio of 0.20.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.77 by $0.01. MetLife had a return on equity of 23.39% and a net margin of 4.57%. The firm had revenue of $20.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.86 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.34 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 18.2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.94 EPS for the current year.

MetLife announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Wednesday, August 5th that permits the company to buy back $3 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to buy up to 4.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

MetLife Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 8th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 3rd will be given a $0.5925 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 3rd. This represents a $2.37 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio is presently 45.40%.

MetLife Profile

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.