Sterling Capital Management LLC Has $25.91 Million Stake in MetLife, Inc. $MET

Sterling Capital Management LLC lowered its holdings in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:METFree Report) by 11.2% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 366,401 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 46,119 shares during the quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC’s holdings in MetLife were worth $25,912,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in MetLife during the fourth quarter worth $639,986,000. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of MetLife by 12.1% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 72,555,335 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,727,518,000 after buying an additional 7,805,814 shares during the last quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of MetLife by 22.9% during the fourth quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 11,883,338 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $938,071,000 after acquiring an additional 2,211,315 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of MetLife by 105.3% in the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 3,305,620 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $271,424,000 after acquiring an additional 1,695,563 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of MetLife by 173.4% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,641,253 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $135,190,000 after acquiring an additional 1,040,894 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.99% of the company’s stock.

MetLife Stock Performance

Shares of MET stock opened at $86.07 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a current ratio of 0.20. The firm has a market cap of $55.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.68, a P/E/G ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 0.78. MetLife, Inc. has a 52 week low of $67.33 and a 52 week high of $89.62. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $82.10 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $78.08.

MetLife (NYSE:METGet Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The financial services provider reported $2.42 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.15. MetLife had a net margin of 4.66% and a return on equity of 22.60%. The firm had revenue of $14.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.49 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.96 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that MetLife, Inc. will post 10 earnings per share for the current year.

MetLife Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 12th were issued a dividend of $0.5925 per share. This represents a $2.37 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. This is a positive change from MetLife’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 12th. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio is currently 45.93%.

MetLife News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting MetLife this week:

  • Positive Sentiment: MetLife Stadium is hosting major World Cup activity, including packed matches, celebrity appearances, and heavy media coverage, which keeps the MetLife name in front of a global audience and may support brand awareness. Article Title
  • Positive Sentiment: Local business activity around World Cup events at MetLife Stadium suggests strong demand tied to the venue, reinforcing the stadium’s role as a major event destination and potentially benefiting MetLife’s public profile. Article Title
  • Neutral Sentiment: Reports say fewer people than expected are taking trains and buses to MetLife Stadium for a World Cup match, which may indicate softer-than-hoped transit traffic but does not directly affect MetLife’s insurance business. Article Title
  • Negative Sentiment: Several articles highlight criticism of MetLife Stadium’s turf and field conditions during World Cup play, which could create negative publicity around the MetLife name even though it is tied to the venue rather than the company’s core operations. Article Title

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MET has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on MetLife from $91.00 to $88.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on MetLife from $89.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Barclays upped their price target on MetLife from $89.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on MetLife from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of MetLife from $86.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, MetLife presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $95.62.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on MetLife

MetLife 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.

See Also

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Institutional Ownership by Quarter for MetLife (NYSE:MET)

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