MetLife, Inc. $MET Stock Position Cut by International Assets Investment Management LLC

International Assets Investment Management LLC decreased its position in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 71.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,038 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 9,908 shares during the quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC’s holdings in MetLife were worth $381,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Heritage Family Offices LLP acquired a new position in MetLife during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $100,000. Calamos Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of MetLife by 2.1% in the third quarter. Calamos Advisors LLC now owns 143,754 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $13,536,000 after purchasing an additional 2,908 shares during the last quarter. Alta Advisers Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of MetLife in the third quarter valued at approximately $351,000. Principle Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of MetLife by 6.1% in the third quarter. Principle Wealth Partners LLC now owns 5,341 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $503,000 after purchasing an additional 309 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kestra Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of MetLife by 14.0% in the third quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 65,008 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,121,000 after purchasing an additional 7,993 shares in the last quarter. 94.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MET has been the subject of several recent research reports. Atlantic Securities set a $103.00 target price on shares of MetLife in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of MetLife from $108.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of MetLife from $105.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Argus increased their price objective on shares of MetLife from $93.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of MetLife from $103.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 24th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $106.62.

MetLife Stock Up 0.5%

NYSE:MET opened at $102.97 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $64.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.79. MetLife, Inc. has a twelve month low of $67.33 and a twelve month high of $106.72. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $98.57 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $86.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.77 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $20.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.86 billion. MetLife had a return on equity of 25.71% and a net margin of 6.21%. The business’s revenue was up 18.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.34 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 8th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.5925 per share. This represents a $2.37 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 3rd. MetLife’s payout ratio is presently 30.90%.

MetLife announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, August 5th that permits the company to repurchase $3 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to buy up to 4.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

MetLife Profile

MetLife, Inc. is a global financial services company best known for providing insurance, employee benefits and retirement-related products. Its offerings include life, dental and disability insurance, annuities, and products and services designed to help individuals and employers plan for financial protection and retirement. The company serves individuals, businesses and institutions in the United States and international markets, including countries in Latin America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.