MetLife, Inc. $MET Stock Position Lifted by Machina Capital S.A.S.

Machina Capital S.A.S. lifted its position in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 34.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 22,664 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,824 shares during the period. Machina Capital S.A.S.’s holdings in MetLife were worth $2,134,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MetLife in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Burk Holdings LLC acquired a new position in MetLife in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Nvwm LLC grew its position in MetLife by 655.3% during the 3rd quarter. Nvwm LLC now owns 287 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 249 shares in the last quarter. Highland Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in MetLife during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Elevation Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in MetLife by 123.5% during the 3rd quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 362 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. 94.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MET has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on MetLife from $103.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 10th. UBS Group lifted their price target on MetLife from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Barclays upped their price target on MetLife from $97.00 to $111.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on MetLife from $110.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded MetLife from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 7th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $107.12.

MetLife Stock Down 1.0%

MetLife stock opened at $101.87 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $64.02 billion, a PE ratio of 13.28, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a current ratio of 0.21. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $98.68 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $86.77. MetLife, Inc. has a twelve month low of $67.33 and a twelve month high of $106.72.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last released its 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. The company had revenue of $20.52 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.86 billion. MetLife had a net margin of 6.21% and a return on equity of 25.71%. The company’s revenue was up 18.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.34 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 8th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 3rd will be paid a $0.5925 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 3rd. This represents a $2.37 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio is 30.90%.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Michel Khalaf sold 187,425 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.97, for a total transaction of $19,299,152.25. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 759,013 shares in the company, valued at approximately $78,155,568.61. This trade represents a 19.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

MetLife Company Profile

MetLife, Inc. is a global financial services company best known for providing insurance, employee benefits and retirement-related products. Its offerings include life, dental and disability insurance, annuities, and products and services designed to help individuals and employers plan for financial protection and retirement. The company serves individuals, businesses and institutions in the United States and international markets, including countries in Latin America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.