51,786,925 Shares in MetLife, Inc. $MET Purchased by BlackRock Inc.

Key Points

• BlackRock acquired 51.8 million MetLife shares worth approximately $4.38 billion, giving it an 8.05% stake. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 94.99% of MET.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $101.07; Morgan Stanley and Barclays recently raised their targets.
• MetLife reported quarterly EPS of $2.43, beating estimates by $0.13, and approved a $3 billion share-buyback program. The company also maintains a $0.5925 quarterly dividend, equivalent to a 2.4% annual yield.

BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 51,786,925 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $4,381,692,000. BlackRock Inc. owned approximately 8.05% of MetLife as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Strs Ohio increased its position in MetLife by 16.6% during the fourth quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 326,091 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $25,742,000 after buying an additional 46,469 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH raised its position in MetLife by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 714,193 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $56,712,000 after buying an additional 14,515 shares during the last quarter. PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab acquired a new stake in MetLife in the fourth quarter valued at about $81,494,000. Evergreen Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of MetLife by 195.8% in the 4th quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 33,260 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,626,000 after buying an additional 22,016 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of MetLife by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 622,789 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $49,163,000 after purchasing an additional 13,657 shares in the last quarter. 94.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on MET. Piper Sandler upped their target price on MetLife from $86.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Weiss Ratings raised MetLife from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Atlantic Securities set a $103.00 target price on shares of MetLife in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Barclays raised their price objective on MetLife from $94.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of MetLife from $93.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $101.07.

Key MetLife News

Here are the key news stories impacting MetLife this week:

• Positive Sentiment: DOWLING & PARTN raised its fiscal 2027 earnings estimate for MetLife to $10.85 per share from $10.75. The revision suggests improving analyst expectations for the insurer’s future profitability and is favorable for MET, although the new estimate remains above the broader current-year consensus of $9.70. MetLife FY2027 earnings estimate
• Neutral Sentiment: MetLife declared third-quarter 2026 dividends on several series of preferred stock, including Series A, Series D, Series E and Series F. The payments reinforce the company’s ongoing capital-return commitments, but they primarily affect preferred shareholders and are unlikely to materially change the valuation of MET common shares. MetLife preferred stock dividends
• Neutral Sentiment: MetLife published its 2025 sustainability report, highlighting research and insights related to its environmental, social and governance initiatives. The report may support the company’s long-term reputation with stakeholders, but it is not expected to have an immediate earnings impact. MetLife 2025 sustainability report
• Neutral Sentiment: Several headlines concern MetLife Stadium, including a new stadium CEO, rapid transitions between Jets and Giants games, and upcoming concerts. These stories relate to the sports and entertainment venue—not MetLife, Inc.’s insurance and financial-services operations—and should not materially affect MET stock. MetLife Stadium names new CEO

MetLife Trading Up 0.2%

NYSE MET opened at $96.83 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $62.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 0.78. MetLife, Inc. has a 12 month low of $67.33 and a 12 month high of $100.93. The company's fifty day moving average price is $92.00 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $81.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.20 and a quick ratio of 0.20.

MetLife (NYSE:MET - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The financial services provider reported $2.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.30 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $13.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.67 billion. MetLife had a return on equity of 23.39% and a net margin of 4.57%.MetLife's quarterly revenue was up 10.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.02 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MetLife declared that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Wednesday, August 5th that authorizes the company to buyback $3.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the financial services provider to buy up to 4.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

MetLife Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 4th will be given a dividend of $0.5925 per share. This represents a $2.37 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 4th. MetLife's dividend payout ratio is presently 45.40%.

About MetLife

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

Continue following MarketBeat

Add MarketBeat as your preferred source on Google to see our latest stories in your feed.

Add As Preferred Source