MetLife, Inc. $MET Shares Sold by Pictet Asset Management Holding SA

Key Points

• Pictet Asset Management cut its stake in MetLife by 20.3% in Q4, selling 84,564 shares and holding 331,384 shares worth about $26.16 million after the sale.
• MetLife raised its quarterly dividend 4.4% to $0.5925 per share (annualized $2.37), implying a ~3.0% yield with an ex‑dividend date of May 12 and payment on June 9.
• MetLife recently beat quarterly EPS estimates ($2.49 vs. $2.34), reported revenue up 27.6% YoY to $52.44 billion, and carries a MarketBeat consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with a $93.38 price target.

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA decreased its stake in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET - Free Report) by 20.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 331,384 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 84,564 shares during the quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA owned approximately 0.05% of MetLife worth $26,161,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MET. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of MetLife by 12.1% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 72,555,335 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $5,727,518,000 after buying an additional 7,805,814 shares during the period. Dodge & Cox lifted its stake in MetLife by 0.9% in the third quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 53,659,664 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $4,419,947,000 after acquiring an additional 477,783 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in MetLife by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 12,572,807 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,035,622,000 after acquiring an additional 180,683 shares in the last quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of MetLife by 5.8% in the 3rd quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 9,672,023 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $796,685,000 after purchasing an additional 527,388 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its position in shares of MetLife by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 7,746,341 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $640,357,000 after purchasing an additional 352,395 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.99% of the company's stock.

MetLife News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting MetLife this week:

• Positive Sentiment: MetLife raised its quarterly common dividend 4.4% to $0.5925 per share (ex‑dividend May 12, payable June 9), implying an annualized yield ≈3.0%. The payout bump supports income investors and signals management confidence in cash flow. MetLife Increases Common Stock Dividend by 4.4%
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts expect Q1 EPS to be up ~13.3% YoY, with Zacks noting rising net investment income and strong segment growth forecasts that could produce an earnings beat — a near‑term catalyst for the stock. Can Higher Investment Income Help MetLife Deliver a Q1 Earnings Beat?
• Positive Sentiment: MetLife polling shows majority of employers favor embedding guaranteed lifetime‑income options into workplace plans — a trend that could expand demand for MetLife’s retirement and annuity products over time. Majority of Employers Support Embedding Guaranteed Lifetime Income Options into Workplace Retirement Plans, MetLife Poll Finds
• Neutral Sentiment: MetLife continues active CRE investing: a $170M commitment to transform Water Tower Place in Chicago signals capital deployment into income‑producing real estate, which can boost long‑term returns but ties up capital. MetLife bets $170 million on Water Tower Place transformation
• Neutral Sentiment: Smaller real‑estate buy in Peoria (140‑unit Villa Enclave) shows continued portfolio activity at local level — modest impact on corporate earnings but illustrative of steady asset management. MetLife Drops Cash on 140-Unit Peoria Villa Enclave
• Neutral Sentiment: HCLTech expanded a partnership tied to MetLife Stadium and became an AI partner to the NFL franchises — boosts MetLife brand visibility around the stadium but has limited direct earnings impact on MetLife, Inc. HCLTech expands MetLife Stadium deal, becomes official AI partner to NFL franchises
• Neutral Sentiment: Executive movement: Oxford Properties hired a MetLife executive as head of U.S. operations — notable for industry talent flow but not material to MetLife’s near‑term fundamentals. Oxford Properties Hires MetLife Exec As New Head Of U.S.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several media pieces about World Cup transit and MetLife Stadium (fans, commuting challenges) are generating headlines; these are operational/PR‑level stories tied to the stadium event and unlikely to move MetLife, Inc.’s stock materially. New Yorkers to World Cup Fans: Please Don’t Walk to MetLife
• Neutral Sentiment: MetLife data releases on dental costs spotlight consumer risk and may support product marketing (dental, supplemental insurance), but these are brand/research items rather than earnings catalysts. MetLife warns major dental bills can drain savings fast

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of MetLife from $100.00 to $93.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on MetLife from $101.00 to $93.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. UBS Group lifted their price target on MetLife from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Barclays dropped their price objective on MetLife from $92.00 to $89.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on MetLife from $93.00 to $90.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $93.38.

MetLife Stock Up 1.6%

MET stock opened at $80.22 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $52.31 billion, a PE ratio of 17.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.70 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a fifty day moving average of $73.14 and a 200-day moving average of $76.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a current ratio of 0.20. MetLife, Inc. has a one year low of $67.33 and a one year high of $83.85.

MetLife (NYSE:MET - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.34 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $52.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.43 billion. MetLife had a net margin of 4.38% and a return on equity of 21.81%. The business's revenue was up 27.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.08 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.85 EPS for the current year.

MetLife Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 12th will be given a dividend of $0.5925 per share. This represents a $2.37 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 12th. This is a positive change from MetLife's previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. MetLife's payout ratio is presently 48.30%.

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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