MetLife, Inc. $MET Shares Purchased by Inceptionr LLC

Key Points

• Inceptionr LLC boosted its MetLife stake by 402.3% in the first quarter, ending with 28,707 shares valued at about $2.03 million.
• MetLife shares were down 0.7% and recently traded at $92.65; the company has a market cap of about $59.6 billion and a 52-week range of $67.33 to $94.86.
• The insurer reported better-than-expected EPS of $2.42 in its latest quarter and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.5925 per share, while analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $100.50.

Inceptionr LLC raised its position in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET - Free Report) by 402.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 28,707 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 22,992 shares during the quarter. MetLife makes up about 0.5% of Inceptionr LLC's holdings, making the stock its 15th biggest holding. Inceptionr LLC's holdings in MetLife were worth $2,030,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Commonwealth Retirement Investments LLC increased its holdings in MetLife by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Commonwealth Retirement Investments LLC now owns 26,953 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,128,000 after buying an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC raised its position in MetLife by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 10,156 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $802,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of MetLife by 2.4% during the first quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 5,813 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $411,000 after buying an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH raised its stake in shares of MetLife by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH now owns 30,431 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,402,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bridgewater Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in MetLife by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. now owns 4,113 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $315,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. 94.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MetLife Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:MET opened at $92.65 on Friday. 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 52-week low of $67.33 and a 52-week high of $94.86. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $86.97 and its 200-day simple moving average is $79.45. The company has a market capitalization of $59.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.95, a P/E/G ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.78.

MetLife (NYSE:MET - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The financial services provider reported $2.42 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $14.18 billion during 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 firm's quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.96 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 4th will be given a $0.5925 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 4th. This represents a $2.37 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. MetLife's payout ratio is currently 45.93%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MET has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on MetLife from $95.00 to $101.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Barclays lifted their price target on MetLife from $93.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of MetLife from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Monday, June 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of MetLife from $96.00 to $106.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of MetLife from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, MetLife has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target 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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