MetLife, Inc. $MET Shares Acquired by Ieq Capital LLC

Key Points

• Ieq Capital LLC increased its stake in MetLife, Inc. by 104.0% in Q1, owning 32,150 shares valued at approximately $2.58 million.
• MetLife recently missed analysts' earnings estimates, reporting $2.02 EPS against a consensus of $2.32, with a revenue of $17.34 billion compared to $18.58 billion expected.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.5675, representing an annualized yield of 2.8%, scheduled for payment on September 9th.

Ieq Capital LLC lifted its position in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET - Free Report) by 104.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 32,150 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 16,389 shares during the period. Ieq Capital LLC's holdings in MetLife were worth $2,581,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of MetLife by 4.8% in the 1st quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 422,684 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $33,937,000 after purchasing an additional 19,192 shares during the period. Ritholtz Wealth Management lifted its stake in shares of MetLife by 52.1% in the 1st quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 9,355 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $751,000 after purchasing an additional 3,204 shares during the period. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc acquired a new position in shares of MetLife in the 1st quarter valued at $255,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of MetLife by 20.7% in the 1st quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 60,785 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $4,735,000 after purchasing an additional 10,414 shares during the period. Finally, Heartland Bank & Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of MetLife in the 1st quarter valued at $516,000. 94.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MetLife Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MET opened at $81.41 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $78.17 and a 200-day simple moving average of $78.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $54.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a quick ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. MetLife, Inc. has a 52 week low of $65.21 and a 52 week high of $89.05.

MetLife (NYSE:MET - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The financial services provider reported $2.02 EPS 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 business had revenue of $17.34 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.58 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.28 earnings per share. MetLife's quarterly revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 5th will be issued a $0.5675 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 5th. This represents a $2.27 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. MetLife's dividend payout ratio is currently 38.47%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MET has been the subject of several analyst reports. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of MetLife from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of MetLife from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 24th. Jefferies Financial Group upped 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. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of MetLife from $88.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 7th. Finally, Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of MetLife in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $95.60.

MetLife Company 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.

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