Yousif Capital Management LLC Sells 1,703 Shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

Yousif Capital Management LLC decreased its position in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 2.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 84,585 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,703 shares during the quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC’s holdings in MetLife were worth $6,791,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Eagle Strategies LLC grew its position in MetLife by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Eagle Strategies LLC now owns 2,707 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $222,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the period. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of MetLife by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 6,044 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $495,000 after acquiring an additional 126 shares during the period. Davis R M Inc. increased its position in MetLife by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Davis R M Inc. now owns 3,148 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $258,000 after acquiring an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its holdings in MetLife by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 11,295 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $925,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares during the period. Finally, United Community Bank boosted its position in MetLife by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. United Community Bank now owns 5,571 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $456,000 after purchasing an additional 158 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.99% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of MetLife in a report on Friday, March 7th. UBS Group boosted their target price on MetLife from $94.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on MetLife from $88.00 to $86.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Barclays decreased their price objective on MetLife from $95.00 to $88.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of MetLife from $91.00 to $94.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $94.17.

MetLife Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of NYSE MET opened at $78.90 on Thursday. MetLife, Inc. has a 52-week low of $65.21 and a 52-week high of $89.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.22, a PEG ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 0.86. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $76.37 and a 200 day moving average price of $80.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a current ratio of 0.16.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.00 by ($0.04). MetLife had a net margin of 6.19% and a return on equity of 20.42%. The firm had revenue of $18.57 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.06 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.83 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.65 earnings per share for the current year.

MetLife announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Wednesday, April 30th that authorizes the company to buyback $3.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the financial services provider to repurchase up to 5.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

MetLife Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 6th were issued a $0.5675 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 6th. This is an increase from MetLife’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.27 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.88%. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.91%.

About MetLife

MetLife, Inc, a financial services company, provides insurance, annuities, employee benefits, and asset management services worldwide. It operates through six segments: Retirement and Income Solutions; Group Benefits; Asia; Latin America; Europe, the Middle East and Africa; and MetLife Holdings. The company offers life, dental, group short-and long-term disability, individual disability, pet insurance, accidental death and dismemberment, vision, and accident and health coverages, as well as prepaid legal plans; administrative services-only arrangements to employers; and general and separate account, and synthetic guaranteed interest contracts, as well as private floating rate funding agreements.