3,320 Shares in MetLife, Inc. $MET Acquired by Bell Bank

Key Points

• Bell Bank has acquired a new position in MetLife, purchasing 3,320 shares valued at approximately $267,000 during Q2, highlighting growing institutional interest in the insurance provider.
• Analysts have projected positive growth for MetLife, with ratings varying from "strong buy" to "hold," and target prices reaching as high as $95.00 based on recent research notes.
• Despite missing earnings estimates in its latest quarterly report, MetLife declared a quarterly dividend of $0.5675 per share, reflecting a 2.9% yield and a payout ratio of 38.47%.

Bell Bank purchased a new stake in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 3,320 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $267,000.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ball & Co Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in MetLife in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. North Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of MetLife in the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Motco increased its position in shares of MetLife by 105.5% in the first quarter. Motco now owns 413 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 212 shares in the last quarter. WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MetLife in the first quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Finally, American National Bank & Trust increased its position in shares of MetLife by 128.4% in the first quarter. American National Bank & Trust now owns 603 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 339 shares in the last quarter. 94.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MetLife Trading Down 1.1%

MET traded down $0.88 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $80.10. 1,377,555 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,415,981. The company has a current ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The company has a market cap of $53.27 billion, a PE ratio of 13.59, a PEG ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.87. The firm's fifty day moving average is $78.37 and its two-hundred day moving average is $78.08. MetLife, Inc. has a 1-year low of $65.21 and a 1-year high of $89.05.

MetLife (NYSE:MET - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The financial services provider reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.32 by ($0.30). The company had revenue of $17.34 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.58 billion. MetLife had a net margin of 5.83% and a return on equity of 19.88%. MetLife's revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.28 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 5th were given a $0.5675 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 5th. This represents a $2.27 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. MetLife's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.47%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on MET. Piper Sandler cut MetLife from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $84.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $97.00 price target (up from $94.00) on shares of MetLife in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on MetLife from $86.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Wolfe Research upgraded MetLife to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 16th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on MetLife from $88.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $94.64.

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.