EP Wealth Advisors LLC Purchases New Holdings in MetLife, Inc. $MET

EP Wealth Advisors LLC acquired 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 and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 21,942 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,857,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Commonwealth Retirement Investments LLC boosted its position in shares of MetLife by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Commonwealth Retirement Investments LLC now owns 26,953 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,128,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares in the last quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of MetLife by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 10,156 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $802,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC increased its position in MetLife by 2.4% during the 1st quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 5,813 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $411,000 after buying an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Worth Asset Management LLC raised its stake in MetLife by 3.1% during the second quarter. Worth Asset Management LLC now owns 4,551 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $385,000 after buying an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bleakley Financial Group LLC raised its stake in MetLife by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 29,687 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,343,000 after buying an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.99% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MET has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Weiss Ratings raised MetLife from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Monday, June 15th. UBS Group lifted their price target on MetLife from $102.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of MetLife from $105.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of MetLife from $101.00 to $109.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of MetLife from $94.00 to $97.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $101.64.

Trending Headlines about MetLife

Here are the key news stories impacting MetLife this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street Zen upgraded MetLife to a Buy rating, providing a favorable near-term sentiment catalyst for MetLife, Inc. NYSE: MET. MetLife Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to Buy Rating
• Positive Sentiment: Dowling & Partners issued a positive outlook for MetLife’s earnings, reinforcing expectations for continued operating strength. This view follows the company’s latest reported quarter, when earnings per share exceeded consensus estimates and revenue increased year over year. DOWLING & PARTN Issues Positive Outlook for MetLife Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: A review of life-insurance companies’ second-quarter results benchmarks MetLife NYSE: MET against its industry peers. The article may help investors assess relative performance, but the headline does not identify a new company-specific catalyst. Life Insurance Stocks Q2 Recap: Benchmarking MetLife
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple articles cover Bruno Mars’ concerts, schedules, weather, ticket availability and fan experience at MetLife Stadium. Although potentially relevant to the stadium’s venue business, MetLife, Inc. is an insurance and financial-services company; the stadium’s naming rights do not make these events a material direct driver of MET shares. Bruno Mars Opens Four Nights at MetLife Tonight

MetLife Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of NYSE:MET opened at $94.44 on Friday. 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, Inc. has a 1 year low of $67.33 and a 1 year high of $100.93. The company has a market cap of $60.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.09, a PEG ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 0.78. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $92.41 and its 200-day moving average price is $82.17.

MetLife (NYSE:MET - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The financial services provider reported $2.43 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.30 by $0.13. MetLife had a return on equity of 23.39% and a net margin of 4.57%.The company had revenue of $13.52 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.67 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.02 EPS. MetLife's revenue for the quarter was up 10.5% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.72 earnings per share for the current year.

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 paid a $0.5925 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 4th. This represents a $2.37 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. MetLife's payout ratio is currently 45.40%.

MetLife declared that its Board of Directors has authorized 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 usually an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

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.

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