12,471 Shares in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) Acquired by Retirement Planning Co of New England Inc.

Retirement Planning Co of New England Inc. bought a new position in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 12,471 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,001,000.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of MET. Eagle Strategies LLC grew its holdings 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 valued at $222,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. grew its stake in MetLife by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 11,295 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $925,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. increased its stake in MetLife by 2.5% in the 1st quarter. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. now owns 6,463 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $519,000 after acquiring an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. Unigestion Holding SA raised its stake in MetLife by 0.7% in the first quarter. Unigestion Holding SA now owns 23,661 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,900,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sonora Investment Management Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of MetLife by 3.2% during the 1st quarter. Sonora Investment Management Group LLC now owns 5,607 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $450,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.99% of the company's stock.

MetLife Price Performance

Shares of MET opened at $76.68 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $51.48 billion, a PE ratio of 12.46, a P/E/G ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 0.85. MetLife, Inc. has a 1-year low of $65.21 and a 1-year high of $89.05. The company has a current ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $78.98 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $79.91.

MetLife (NYSE:MET - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.00 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $18.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $18.06 billion. MetLife had a net margin of 6.08% and a return on equity of 20.89%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 15.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.83 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.65 EPS for the current year.

MetLife announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, April 30th that allows the company to buyback $3.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to reacquire up to 5.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

MetLife Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.5675 per share. This represents a $2.27 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.96%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 5th. MetLife's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.91%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on MET shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on MetLife from $86.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $98.00 price target (down previously from $99.00) on shares of MetLife in a research report on Monday. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of MetLife from $88.00 to $94.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 7th. UBS Group raised their price objective on MetLife from $94.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their price target on MetLife from $92.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $95.50.

MetLife 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.

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