MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) Stock Position Decreased by Picton Mahoney Asset Management

Picton Mahoney Asset Management lowered its position in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET - Free Report) by 56.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 325,780 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 429,137 shares during the period. MetLife accounts for 0.5% of Picton Mahoney Asset Management's portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest holding. Picton Mahoney Asset Management's holdings in MetLife were worth $26,156,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MET. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in MetLife by 33.7% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 24,663,239 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,019,427,000 after purchasing an additional 6,213,923 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of MetLife by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 11,931,536 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $973,901,000 after buying an additional 158,107 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in shares of MetLife by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 8,862,835 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $711,597,000 after acquiring an additional 36,177 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in shares of MetLife by 15.7% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,052,202 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $577,434,000 after acquiring an additional 958,458 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in MetLife by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,434,737 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $526,869,000 after purchasing an additional 290,734 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.99% of the company's stock.

MetLife Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of MET opened at $77.64 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a current ratio of 0.16. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $78.61 and a 200-day simple moving average of $79.63. MetLife, Inc. has a 52 week low of $65.21 and a 52 week high of $89.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.62, a P/E/G ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 0.85.

MetLife (NYSE:MET - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.00 by ($0.04). MetLife had a return on equity of 20.89% and a net margin of 6.08%. The firm had revenue of $18.57 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.06 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.83 EPS. MetLife's revenue was up 15.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.65 earnings per share for the current year.

MetLife declared that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Wednesday, April 30th that allows the company to buyback $3.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to repurchase up to 5.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

MetLife Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.5675 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 5th. This represents a $2.27 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.92%. MetLife's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.91%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on MET shares. UBS Group increased their price target on MetLife from $94.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of MetLife from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 24th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of MetLife from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of MetLife from $86.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $97.00 price objective (up from $94.00) on shares of MetLife in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $96.09.

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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