Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Has $85.19 Million Stock Holdings in MetLife, Inc. $MET

Key Points

• Epoch Investment Partners trimmed its MetLife stake by 4.3% in the first quarter, selling 54,695 shares and ending with 1.2 million shares valued at about $85.2 million.
• MetLife reported Q1 EPS of $2.42, topping analyst estimates, while revenue rose 2.7% year over year to $14.18 billion.
• Analysts remain constructive on the stock: several firms raised price targets, and the consensus rating is Moderate Buy with an average target price of $100.50.

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. reduced its stake in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET - Free Report) by 4.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,204,677 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 54,695 shares during the period. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. owned 0.19% of MetLife worth $85,195,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Activest Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of MetLife by 205.8% during the 4th quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 315 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 212 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its holdings in MetLife by 58.9% in the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 383 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the period. Garton & Associates Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in MetLife during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Gunpowder Capital Management LLC dba Oliver Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of MetLife during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Prosperity Bancshares Inc acquired a new position in shares of MetLife in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.99% of the company's stock.

MetLife Price Performance

Shares of MET stock opened at $94.67 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $87.27 and a 200 day simple moving average of $79.55. The company has a market cap of $60.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.35, a P/E/G ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a quick ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 0.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. MetLife, Inc. has a twelve month low of $67.33 and a twelve month high of $94.86.

MetLife (NYSE:MET - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The financial services provider reported $2.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.27 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $14.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.49 billion. MetLife had a net margin of 4.66% and a return on equity of 22.60%. The firm's revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.96 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.5925 per share. This represents a $2.37 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 4th. MetLife's payout ratio is presently 45.93%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on MET. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on MetLife from $98.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on MetLife from $96.00 to $106.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday. Mizuho lifted their target price on MetLife from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of MetLife from $93.00 to $94.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Evercore set a $96.00 price target on MetLife in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. One investment 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $100.50.

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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