Savant Capital LLC Trims Position in MetLife, Inc. $MET

Savant Capital LLC cut its holdings in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:METFree Report) by 46.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 17,006 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 14,531 shares during the quarter. Savant Capital LLC’s holdings in MetLife were worth $1,342,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Providence Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of MetLife during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $6,649,000. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its holdings in shares of MetLife by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 4,630,165 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $366,524,000 after purchasing an additional 117,545 shares in the last quarter. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co increased its holdings in shares of MetLife by 21.9% during the 3rd quarter. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 137,956 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $11,363,000 after purchasing an additional 24,800 shares in the last quarter. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ increased its holdings in shares of MetLife by 6.5% during the 3rd quarter. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ now owns 187,358 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $15,433,000 after purchasing an additional 11,469 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of MetLife during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $8,091,000. 94.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MetLife Stock Down 0.9%

NYSE MET opened at $81.96 on Tuesday. MetLife, Inc. has a 52 week low of $67.33 and a 52 week high of $85.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 0.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $76.75 and its 200-day simple moving average is $76.88. The firm has a market cap of $52.74 billion, a PE ratio of 15.88, a P/E/G ratio of 0.62 and a beta of 0.78.

MetLife (NYSE:METGet Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The financial services provider reported $2.42 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.27 by $0.15. MetLife had a return on equity of 22.60% and a net margin of 4.66%.The business had revenue of $14.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.49 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.96 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.96 earnings per share for the current year.

MetLife Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.5925 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 12th. This represents a $2.37 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. This is a boost from MetLife’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. MetLife’s payout ratio is presently 45.93%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MET has been the subject of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings raised shares of MetLife from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of MetLife from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of MetLife from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of MetLife from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of MetLife from $89.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $95.31.

Get Our Latest Stock Report on MET

MetLife Company Profile

(Free Report)

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.

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Institutional Ownership by Quarter for MetLife (NYSE:MET)

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