Aberdeen Group plc Acquires 39,512 Shares of MetLife, Inc. $MET

Key Points

• Aberdeen Group plc increased its stake in MetLife by 4.8%, buying 39,512 shares in Q4 to hold 855,799 shares (~0.13% of the company) valued at about $67.56 million.
• Q4 results topped expectations with EPS of $2.49 versus a $2.34 consensus and revenue of $52.44 billion, up 27.6% year‑over‑year.
• Dividend and analyst outlook: MetLife pays a $0.5675 quarterly dividend (annualized $2.27, ~3.2% yield, 48.3% payout ratio) and carries a consensus "Moderate Buy" rating with an average price target of $93.42.

Aberdeen Group plc raised its stake in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET - Free Report) by 4.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 855,799 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 39,512 shares during the quarter. Aberdeen Group plc owned about 0.13% of MetLife worth $67,557,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its holdings in MetLife by 790.0% during the third quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 356 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 316 shares during the last quarter. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of MetLife in the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MetLife in the third quarter valued at about $33,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in MetLife during the second quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC raised its holdings in MetLife by 95.4% during the third quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 422 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 206 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.99% of the company's stock.

MetLife Price Performance

MET stock opened at $70.74 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $46.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.05, a PEG ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $73.63 and a 200-day moving average price of $77.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a current ratio of 0.20. MetLife, Inc. has a 52-week low of $65.21 and a 52-week high of $83.85.

MetLife (NYSE:MET - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.49 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.34 by $0.15. MetLife had a net margin of 4.38% and a return on equity of 21.81%. The company had revenue of $52.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $31.43 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.08 earnings per share. MetLife's revenue for the quarter was up 27.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.65 EPS for the current year.

MetLife Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 3rd were paid a $0.5675 dividend. This represents a $2.27 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 3rd. MetLife's payout ratio is currently 48.30%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Barclays set a $90.00 price target on MetLife in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of MetLife from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of MetLife from $101.00 to $93.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of MetLife from $94.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a "moderate buy" rating and issued a $87.00 price objective on shares of MetLife in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, MetLife presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $93.42.

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.

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