Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. Takes Position in MetLife, Inc. $MET

Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. acquired a new stake in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 1,013,033 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $80,178,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in MetLife by 12.1% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 72,555,335 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,727,518,000 after acquiring an additional 7,805,814 shares in the last quarter. Dodge & Cox raised its holdings in MetLife by 0.9% in the third quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 53,659,664 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,419,947,000 after acquiring an additional 477,783 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in MetLife by 1.5% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 12,572,807 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,035,622,000 after acquiring an additional 180,683 shares in the last quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in MetLife by 22.9% in the fourth quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 11,883,338 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $938,071,000 after acquiring an additional 2,211,315 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its holdings in MetLife by 4.8% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 7,746,341 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $640,357,000 after acquiring an additional 352,395 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.99% of the company’s stock.

MetLife Stock Up 1.1%

MET stock opened at $82.83 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. MetLife, Inc. has a twelve month low of $67.33 and a twelve month high of $85.29. The company’s 50 day moving average is $76.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $76.85. The stock has a market cap of $53.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.05, a PEG ratio of 0.62 and a beta of 0.78.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The financial services provider reported $2.42 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.15. MetLife had a net margin of 4.66% and a return on equity of 22.60%. The company had revenue of $14.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.49 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.96 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.5925 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 12th. This is an increase from MetLife’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. This represents a $2.37 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio is 45.93%.

Trending Headlines about MetLife

Here are the key news stories impacting MetLife this week:

• Positive Sentiment: MetLife announced an expansion of its guaranteed retirement income lineup with a new flexible annuity option, which could support sales growth and reinforce its core insurance/retirement franchise. MetLife Expands Guaranteed Retirement Income Offering with Innovative Flexible Annuity Option
• Positive Sentiment: MetLife also added liquidity to an annuity product, another sign it is trying to make its retirement offerings more attractive to customers seeking flexibility and access to funds. MetLife Adds Liquidity To Annuity As Stock Trades Below Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: DOWLING & PARTN issued earnings estimates for MetLife above or near the Street for the next several years, including FY2027 EPS of $10.75 and FY2028 EPS of $12.00, reinforcing confidence in long-term profit growth.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several headlines mentioning “MetLife” were unrelated to the insurer and referred to MetLife Stadium or World Cup coverage, so they are unlikely to materially affect the stock.
• Negative Sentiment: A report that MetLife is clashing with Ares over a struggling football investment could raise some concern about a specific investment exposure, but it appears secondary to the more important product and earnings news. MetLife clashes with Ares over struggling football investment

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently weighed in on MET. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of MetLife from $87.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of MetLife from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Mizuho set a $95.00 target price on shares of MetLife in a report on Friday, May 8th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of MetLife from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of MetLife from $89.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $95.31.

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.