Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Trims Stock Holdings in MetLife, Inc. $MET

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. decreased its stake in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 3.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,338,722 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 44,341 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned approximately 0.20% of MetLife worth $105,679,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Providence Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in MetLife in the third quarter worth about $6,649,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its stake in shares of MetLife by 8.9% in the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 1,176,469 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $96,905,000 after acquiring an additional 96,523 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its stake in shares of MetLife by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 4,630,165 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $366,524,000 after acquiring an additional 117,545 shares during the period. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co boosted its stake in shares of MetLife by 21.9% in the third quarter. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 137,956 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $11,363,000 after acquiring an additional 24,800 shares during the period. Finally, Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of MetLife by 256.8% in the third quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 62,662 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,161,000 after acquiring an additional 45,100 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.99% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group upped their price objective on MetLife from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Barclays dropped their price objective on MetLife from $92.00 to $89.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on MetLife from $101.00 to $93.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on MetLife from $91.00 to $88.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered MetLife from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $92.92.

Key MetLife News

Here are the key news stories impacting MetLife this week:

• Positive Sentiment: UBS raised its price target on MET to $102, signaling greater analyst optimism about earnings power and valuation upside. UBS raises price target
• Positive Sentiment: MetLife Foundation announced over $6.5M in global grants to address community needs — a positive ESG/brand item that can support reputation and stakeholder goodwill. MetLife Foundation grants
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage-piece on MetLife’s deal with PineBridge and a push into private credit — this strategic shift could boost investment yields and recurring income but also raises illiquidity and credit-risk considerations for investors. PineBridge & private credit analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: MetLife Stadium will temporarily be renamed (e.g., “New York New Jersey Stadium”) for the FIFA World Cup due to FIFA sponsorship rules — a short-term reduction in visible MetLife branding during a high-profile event; PR impact is limited and temporary. Stadium name change explanation
• Neutral Sentiment: Local transit plans for the World Cup (partial Penn Station closures and commuter discounts) add event logistics uncertainty that could affect attendance patterns around stadium events but are unlikely to materially affect MetLife’s financials. Commuter discounts for Penn Station closure
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo cut its MET price target to $90, introducing a bearish analyst view that could cap near-term upside and pressure sentiment among institutional holders. Wells Fargo cuts price target

MetLife Price Performance

Shares of MetLife stock opened at $75.42 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $73.10 and a 200 day moving average of $76.91. MetLife, Inc. has a 12 month low of $67.33 and a 12 month high of $83.85. The firm has a market cap of $49.18 billion, a PE ratio of 16.05, a PEG ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a current ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.49 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.34 by $0.15. MetLife had a return on equity of 21.81% and a net margin of 4.38%.The company had revenue of $52.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.43 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.08 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 27.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Profile

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.