Kentucky Retirement Systems Boosts Stock Position in MetLife, Inc. $MET

Kentucky Retirement Systems raised its holdings in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET - Free Report) by 162.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 92,556 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 57,234 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems' holdings in MetLife were worth $6,546,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MET has been the topic of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on MetLife from $95.00 to $101.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of MetLife from $87.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of MetLife from $103.00 to $99.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of MetLife from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of MetLife from $98.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. One 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's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $100.50.

MetLife Trading Down 0.4%

MetLife stock opened at $97.10 on Thursday. MetLife, Inc. has a 52-week low of $67.33 and a 52-week high of $97.80. The company has a quick ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 0.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $62.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.82, a PEG ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 0.78. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $88.17 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $79.90.

MetLife (NYSE:MET - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The financial services provider reported $2.42 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $14.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $19.49 billion. MetLife had a return on equity of 22.60% and a net margin of 4.66%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.96 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.89 earnings per share for the current year.

MetLife Dividend Announcement

The firm 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 4th. This represents a $2.37 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. MetLife's payout ratio is presently 45.93%.

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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