MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) Shares Acquired by Ensign Peak Advisors Inc

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc boosted its position in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 6.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,085,794 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 67,032 shares during the quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc owned 0.16% of MetLife worth $88,905,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. United Asset Strategies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of MetLife by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc. now owns 10,933 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $895,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the period. Barrett & Company Inc. grew its stake in MetLife by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 11,942 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $978,000 after buying an additional 121 shares during the period. Eagle Strategies LLC increased its position in shares of MetLife by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Eagle Strategies LLC now owns 2,707 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $222,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of MetLife by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 6,044 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $495,000 after acquiring an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Davis R M Inc. boosted its position in MetLife by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Davis R M Inc. now owns 3,148 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $258,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.99% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. UBS Group boosted their price objective on MetLife from $94.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of MetLife from $92.00 to $94.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of MetLife from $109.00 to $94.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of MetLife in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $97.00 price target on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of MetLife from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MetLife currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $92.69.

MetLife Stock Performance

MET stock opened at $77.82 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $52.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.04, a P/E/G ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 0.85. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $77.09 and its 200 day simple moving average is $81.24. The company has a current ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. MetLife, Inc. has a 12-month low of $65.21 and a 12-month high of $89.05.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.00 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $18.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.06 billion. MetLife had a net margin of 6.19% and a return on equity of 20.42%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 15.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.83 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.65 EPS for the current year.

MetLife Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 6th will be given a dividend of $0.5675 per share. This represents a $2.27 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.92%. This is a boost from MetLife’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 6th. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.91%.

MetLife declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, April 30th that permits the company to buyback $3.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to buy up to 5.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

MetLife Company Profile

MetLife, Inc, a financial services company, provides insurance, annuities, employee benefits, and asset management services worldwide. It operates through six segments: Retirement and Income Solutions; Group Benefits; Asia; Latin America; Europe, the Middle East and Africa; and MetLife Holdings. The company offers life, dental, group short-and long-term disability, individual disability, pet insurance, accidental death and dismemberment, vision, and accident and health coverages, as well as prepaid legal plans; administrative services-only arrangements to employers; and general and separate account, and synthetic guaranteed interest contracts, as well as private floating rate funding agreements.