MetLife, Inc. $MET Shares Acquired by SG Americas Securities LLC

Key Points

• SG Americas Securities LLC dramatically increased its stake in MetLife, boosting holdings by 13,486.2% in Q4 to 220,233 shares after buying 218,612 more, worth about $17.39 million.
• MetLife posted a Q4 $2.49 EPS, beating the $2.34 consensus and reporting revenue of $52.44 billion (up 27.6% year-over-year), signaling stronger-than-expected quarterly results.
• The company pays a quarterly dividend of $0.5675 (annualized $2.27) for a 3.4% yield"Moderate Buy" rating with a $93.42 price target.

SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET - Free Report) by 13,486.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 220,233 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 218,612 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC's holdings in MetLife were worth $17,385,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in MetLife by 9.0% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 4,240 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $347,000 after acquiring an additional 351 shares in the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP acquired a new stake in shares of MetLife in the 1st quarter valued at $307,000. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of MetLife by 187.6% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 33,378 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,680,000 after purchasing an additional 21,771 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of MetLife during the second quarter worth $404,000. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC purchased a new position in MetLife in the second quarter valued at $739,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.99% of the company's stock.

MetLife Stock Performance

Shares of MetLife stock opened at $67.63 on Friday. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $74.23 and its 200-day simple moving average is $77.55. MetLife, Inc. has a 12 month low of $65.21 and a 12 month high of $83.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.39, a PEG ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 0.76. 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 (NYSE:MET - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.49 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.34 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $52.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.43 billion. MetLife had a net margin of 4.38% and a return on equity of 21.81%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 27.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.08 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.65 earnings per share for the current year.

MetLife Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 3rd were paid a $0.5675 dividend. This represents a $2.27 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 3rd. MetLife's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.30%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on MET. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a "moderate buy" rating and issued a $87.00 price target on shares of MetLife in a report on Thursday. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of MetLife from $94.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Evercore set a $95.00 target price on shares of MetLife in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Mizuho set a $100.00 price target on shares of MetLife in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of MetLife from $101.00 to $93.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $93.42.

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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