Groupama Asset Managment Sells 20,323 Shares of MetLife, Inc. $MET

Groupama Asset Managment lowered its stake in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 2.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 710,543 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 20,323 shares during the period. Groupama Asset Managment’s holdings in MetLife were worth $50,250,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Activest Wealth Management boosted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 212 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its position in shares of MetLife by 58.9% in the fourth quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 383 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Garton & Associates Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of MetLife during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Gunpowder Capital Management LLC dba Oliver Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of MetLife during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Prosperity Bancshares Inc acquired a new stake in MetLife during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. 94.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MET has been the topic of a number of research reports. UBS Group upped their price objective on MetLife from $102.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on MetLife from $97.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on shares of MetLife from $86.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of MetLife from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of MetLife from $93.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, MetLife currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $100.50.

MetLife Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of MET stock opened at $96.21 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $61.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.74 and a beta of 0.78. MetLife, Inc. has a 1 year low of $67.33 and a 1 year high of $97.80. The company has a current ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $88.67 and a 200 day simple moving average of $80.13.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. The firm had revenue of $14.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.49 billion. MetLife had a return on equity of 22.60% and a net margin of 4.66%.The company’s revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.96 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Announces Dividend

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

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.