MetLife, Inc. $MET Shares Sold by Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA

Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA lowered its holdings in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 20.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 36,641 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 9,295 shares during the period. Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA’s holdings in MetLife were worth $2,591,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MET. Activest Wealth Management boosted its stake in shares of MetLife by 205.8% during the fourth quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 315 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 212 shares during the period. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC increased its position in MetLife by 790.0% in the 3rd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 356 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 316 shares during the period. Garton & Associates Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in MetLife during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its position in MetLife by 58.9% during the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 383 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the period. Finally, Gunpowder Capital Management LLC dba Oliver Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of MetLife in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. 94.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MetLife Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of MET stock opened at $89.90 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $83.11 and its 200 day moving average price is $78.34. MetLife, Inc. has a 1-year low of $67.33 and a 1-year high of $90.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $57.84 billion, a PE ratio of 17.42, a P/E/G ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.20 and a quick ratio of 0.20.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The financial services provider reported $2.42 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $14.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.49 billion. MetLife had a return on equity of 22.60% and a net margin of 4.66%.MetLife’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.96 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 12th were issued a $0.5925 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 12th. This represents a $2.37 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. This is a boost from MetLife’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. MetLife’s payout ratio is 45.93%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America decreased their price target on MetLife from $103.00 to $99.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of MetLife from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of MetLife from $95.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. TD Cowen dropped their price target on shares of MetLife from $91.00 to $88.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on shares of MetLife from $87.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $95.62.

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.