Curat Global LLC Reduces Stock Holdings in MetLife, Inc. $MET

Curat Global LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 53.1% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 7,102 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 8,036 shares during the period. Curat Global LLC’s holdings in MetLife were worth $561,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its stake in MetLife by 53.7% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 13,947 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,101,000 after buying an additional 4,871 shares during the last quarter. Trajan Wealth LLC grew its stake in MetLife by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Trajan Wealth LLC now owns 67,209 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,305,000 after buying an additional 1,467 shares during the last quarter. Leonteq Securities AG purchased a new position in MetLife during the 4th quarter worth $1,015,000. Pinkerton Wealth LLC lifted its position in MetLife by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Pinkerton Wealth LLC now owns 66,964 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,286,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares during the period. Finally, ABN Amro Investment Solutions lifted its position in MetLife by 34.2% during the 4th quarter. ABN Amro Investment Solutions now owns 231,573 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $18,280,000 after acquiring an additional 58,961 shares during the period. 94.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MetLife Stock Up 2.2%

Shares of MET opened at $84.29 on Friday. MetLife, Inc. has a 52 week low of $67.33 and a 52 week high of $84.38. 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 company has a market capitalization of $54.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.34, a PEG ratio of 0.62 and a beta of 0.78. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $74.77 and its 200-day moving average price is $76.62.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The financial services provider reported $2.42 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.15. MetLife had a return on equity of 22.60% and a net margin of 4.66%.The firm had revenue of $14.18 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.49 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.96 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.92 EPS for the current year.

MetLife Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 12th will be paid a $0.5925 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 12th. This is a positive change from MetLife’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. This represents a $2.37 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 45.93%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on MET shares. UBS Group lifted their price target on MetLife from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Weiss Ratings raised MetLife from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on MetLife from $87.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Bank of America lowered their price target on MetLife from $103.00 to $99.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on MetLife from $95.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. One 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $95.15.

MetLife Company 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.