MetLife, Inc. $MET Stake Raised by Asset Management One Co. Ltd.

Key Points

• Asset Management One increased its MetLife stake by 13.8% in the third quarter, acquiring 51,694 additional shares for a total holding of 426,894 shares valued at approximately $40.2 million. Institutional investors collectively own 94.99% of MetLife.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with 13 Buy ratings and two Holds. MetLife has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $105.44.
• MetLife exceeded quarterly EPS expectations, reporting $2.43 versus the $2.30 consensus, while revenue rose 10.5% year over year. The company also authorized a $3 billion share repurchase program and pays an annualized dividend of $2.37 per share, yielding about 2.4%.

Asset Management One Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET - Free Report) by 13.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 426,894 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 51,694 shares during the quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. owned 0.07% of MetLife worth $40,196,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MetLife during the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Burk Holdings LLC bought a new stake in shares of MetLife during the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Nvwm LLC grew its holdings in shares of MetLife by 655.3% in the 3rd quarter. Nvwm LLC now owns 287 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 249 shares during the last quarter. Highland Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of MetLife in the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Elevation Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in shares of MetLife by 123.5% during the third quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 362 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.99% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on MET shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on MetLife from $109.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, October 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on MetLife from $108.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Evercore restated a "mixed" rating on shares of MetLife in a report on Monday, August 24th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of MetLife in a research note on Friday, September 11th. Finally, Atlantic Securities set a $103.00 target price on shares of MetLife in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, MetLife has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $105.44.

MetLife Stock Performance

Shares of MET stock opened at $99.60 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $64.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.08, a P/E/G ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.78. MetLife, Inc. has a 1-year low of $67.33 and a 1-year high of $103.65. The company has a current ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $97.45 and its 200-day simple moving average is $85.46.

MetLife (NYSE:MET - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The financial services provider reported $2.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.30 by $0.13. MetLife had a return on equity of 23.39% and a net margin of 4.57%. The firm had revenue of $13.52 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.67 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.02 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 10.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MetLife announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, August 5th that authorizes the company to repurchase $3 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the financial services provider to reacquire up to 4.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

MetLife Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 8th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 3rd will be issued a $0.5925 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 3rd. This represents a $2.37 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. MetLife's dividend payout ratio is currently 45.40%.

MetLife Profile

MetLife, Inc NYSE: MET is a global financial services company that provides insurance, retirement, and employee benefits solutions to individuals, employers, and institutions. Its offerings include life insurance, dental and vision coverage, accident and disability insurance, annuities, retirement savings products, and related financial services.

Through its institutional and workplace businesses, MetLife helps employers provide benefits and retirement programs to their employees. The company also serves individual customers with protection and income products.

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