MetLife, Inc. $MET Stock: Vise Technologies Inc. Boosts Position

Vise Technologies Inc. increased its position in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 32.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 34,320 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,476 shares during the period. Vise Technologies Inc.’s holdings in MetLife were worth $3,232,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of MET. Nvwm LLC grew its stake in shares of MetLife by 655.3% in the third quarter. Nvwm LLC now owns 287 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 249 shares during the period. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of MetLife in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Burk Holdings LLC bought a new stake in shares of MetLife during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Highland Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of MetLife during the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Elevation Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of MetLife by 123.5% in the third quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 362 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. 94.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about MetLife

Here are the key news stories impacting MetLife this week:

• Positive Sentiment: MetLife reported adjusted earnings of $2.78 per share, just above the $2.77 consensus estimate and up from $2.34 a year earlier. MarketBeat earnings results
• Positive Sentiment: Revenue was $19.91 billion, slightly above the $19.86 billion expected and 18.2% higher year over year, pointing to solid top-line growth. MetLife Q3 sales
• Neutral Sentiment: The company also released its third-quarter results and earnings-call presentation, but the supplied reports do not provide additional outlook or guidance details that would clarify the next growth drivers. MetLife financial results announcement

MetLife Stock Up 2.2%

Shares of MET opened at $102.84 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $66.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.79. MetLife, Inc. has a 12-month low of $67.33 and a 12-month high of $103.65. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $98.05 and its 200 day moving average price is $86.03. The company has a current ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $2.77 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $20.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.86 billion. MetLife had a return on equity of 23.39% and a net margin of 4.57%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.34 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.94 earnings per share for the current year.

MetLife Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 8th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.5925 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 3rd. This represents a $2.37 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.40%.

MetLife declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, August 5th that allows the company to buy back $3 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to purchase up to 4.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Share repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of MetLife from $105.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of MetLife from $97.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of MetLife from $103.00 to $111.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 24th. Argus raised their target price on shares of MetLife from $93.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 2nd. Finally, Atlantic Securities set a $103.00 price target on MetLife in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MetLife presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $105.44.

About MetLife

MetLife, Inc (NYSE: MET) is a global financial services company that provides insurance, retirement, and employee benefits solutions to individuals, employers, and institutions. Its offerings include life insurance, dental and vision coverage, accident and disability insurance, annuities, retirement savings products, and related financial services.

Through its institutional and workplace businesses, MetLife helps employers provide benefits and retirement programs to their employees. The company also serves individual customers with protection and income products.