Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd Makes New $300,000 Investment in MetLife, Inc. $MET

Key Points

• Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd invested $300,000 in MetLife, purchasing 3,735 shares in the 1st quarter, further indicating strong institutional interest in the financial services provider.
• MetLife reported disappointing quarterly earnings with an EPS of $2.02, falling short of the expected $2.32, and its revenue decreased by 2.7% year-over-year.
• Current analyst ratings for MetLife indicate a consensus rating of 'Moderate Buy', with an average target price of $95.60 following several price adjustments from major analysts.

Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new position in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 3,735 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $300,000.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Ball & Co Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of MetLife in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. North Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of MetLife during the 1st quarter worth $26,000. Motco lifted its position in shares of MetLife by 105.5% during the 1st quarter. Motco now owns 413 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 212 shares during the last quarter. WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MetLife during the 1st quarter worth $46,000. Finally, American National Bank & Trust lifted its position in shares of MetLife by 128.4% during the 1st quarter. American National Bank & Trust now owns 603 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 339 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.99% of the company's stock.

MetLife Price Performance

Shares of MET opened at $80.86 on Friday. MetLife, Inc. has a 1-year low of $65.21 and a 1-year high of $89.05. The stock has a market cap of $53.77 billion, a PE ratio of 13.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.16 and a quick ratio of 0.16. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $78.24 and a 200 day moving average price of $78.32.

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

MetLife Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 5th were issued a $0.5675 dividend. This represents a $2.27 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 5th. MetLife's dividend payout ratio is presently 38.47%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on MET shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of MetLife from $86.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on shares of MetLife from $94.00 to $92.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 11th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of MetLife from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of MetLife from $100.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Finally, Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of MetLife in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, MetLife currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $95.60.

About MetLife

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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