MetLife, Inc. $MET Shares Purchased by Valley Wealth Managers Inc.

Valley Wealth Managers Inc. lifted its holdings in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 3.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 300,280 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 10,567 shares during the quarter. MetLife comprises about 1.5% of Valley Wealth Managers Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. Valley Wealth Managers Inc.’s holdings in MetLife were worth $23,704,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Trustmark Bank Trust Department lifted its position in MetLife by 4.6% during the 3rd quarter. Trustmark Bank Trust Department now owns 2,870 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $236,000 after acquiring an additional 127 shares during the period. Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC lifted its position in MetLife by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC now owns 2,790 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $230,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in MetLife by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 7,040 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $580,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares during the period. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its position in MetLife by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 13,908 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,146,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares during the period. Finally, Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH lifted its position in MetLife by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH now owns 30,431 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,402,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.99% of the company’s stock.

MetLife Price Performance

Shares of MetLife stock opened at $77.93 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.20, a current 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 $83.85. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $73.42 and a 200 day moving average price of $76.52. The firm has a market cap of $50.14 billion, a PE ratio of 15.10, a P/E/G ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 0.78.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The financial services provider reported $2.42 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.96 EPS. MetLife’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 12th will be paid a $0.5925 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 12th. This represents a $2.37 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. This is a boost from MetLife’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.99%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on MET shares. 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. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on MetLife from $93.00 to $90.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Barclays lifted their price objective on MetLife from $89.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Weiss Ratings upgraded MetLife from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a “moderate buy” rating and set a $87.00 price objective on shares of MetLife in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. One 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $93.85.

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.