Danica Pension Livsforsikringsaktieselskab Invests $8.26 Million in MetLife, Inc. $MET

Danica Pension Livsforsikringsaktieselskab purchased a new stake in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund purchased 116,733 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $8,255,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MET. Strs Ohio boosted its position in shares of MetLife by 16.6% during the 4th quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 326,091 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,742,000 after purchasing an additional 46,469 shares during the period. Evergreen Capital Management LLC raised its position in MetLife by 195.8% in the fourth quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 33,260 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,626,000 after purchasing an additional 22,016 shares during the period. PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab acquired a new position in MetLife during the fourth quarter worth $81,494,000. Diversified Trust Co. lifted its stake in MetLife by 276.4% during the fourth quarter. Diversified Trust Co. now owns 31,246 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,467,000 after purchasing an additional 22,945 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH boosted its position in shares of MetLife by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 714,193 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $56,712,000 after buying an additional 14,515 shares during the period. 94.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MetLife Stock Down 0.1%

MetLife stock opened at $93.27 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.08, a P/E/G ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.78. 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 $94.86. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $86.70 and its 200-day simple moving average is $79.36.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The financial services provider reported $2.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.49 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.96 earnings per share. MetLife’s revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 4th will be given a dividend of $0.5925 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 4th. This represents a $2.37 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. MetLife’s payout ratio is currently 45.93%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on MET. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on MetLife from $95.00 to $101.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. TD Cowen raised their target price on MetLife from $87.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Evercore set a $96.00 target price on MetLife in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of MetLife from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on shares of MetLife from $102.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $100.50.

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.