Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund Boosts Position in MetLife, Inc. $MET

Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund raised its holdings in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 31.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 63,849 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 15,159 shares during the period. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund’s holdings in MetLife were worth $5,259,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in MetLife by 9.0% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 4,240 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $347,000 after purchasing an additional 351 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC boosted its position in shares of MetLife by 7.6% in the first quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 9,170 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $736,000 after buying an additional 651 shares during the period. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of MetLife in the first quarter valued at about $300,000. Caxton Associates LLP acquired a new stake in shares of MetLife in the first quarter valued at about $307,000. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in MetLife by 187.6% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 33,378 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,680,000 after acquiring an additional 21,771 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.99% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on MET shares. Evercore ISI set a $97.00 price objective on shares of MetLife and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Tuesday. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of MetLife from $95.00 to $94.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on shares of MetLife from $92.00 to $90.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. Mizuho assumed coverage on shares of MetLife in a report on Monday, December 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $101.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Barclays set a $90.00 price objective on shares of MetLife in a research report on Thursday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $95.08.

MetLife Price Performance

MET opened at $79.37 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $52.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.95, a PEG ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a 50-day moving average of $78.77 and a 200-day moving average of $79.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.18 and a current ratio of 0.18. MetLife, Inc. has a 1-year low of $65.21 and a 1-year high of $88.09.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The financial services provider reported $2.37 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.30 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $12.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.64 billion. MetLife had a net margin of 5.30% and a return on equity of 21.00%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.95 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 3rd will be given a $0.5675 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 3rd. This represents a $2.27 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 42.75%.

About MetLife

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.