9,272 Shares in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) Acquired by Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board

Key Points

• The Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board acquired 9,272 shares of MetLife, Inc., valued at approximately $744,000, during the first quarter of the year.
• MetLife reported an EPS of $2.02 for the last quarter, missing consensus estimates by $0.30 and experiencing a 2.7% decline in revenue year-over-year.
• The company declared a $0.5675 quarterly dividend, representing a 3.0% annual yield, with an ex-dividend date set for August 5th.

Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board purchased a new position in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 9,272 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $744,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MET. Eagle Strategies LLC lifted its holdings in MetLife by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Eagle Strategies LLC now owns 2,707 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $222,000 after buying an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. Csenge Advisory Group boosted its holdings in MetLife by 1.0% in the first quarter. Csenge Advisory Group now owns 13,647 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,096,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. increased its holdings in MetLife by 2.5% during the 1st quarter. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. now owns 6,463 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $519,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. Unigestion Holding SA raised its position in shares of MetLife by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Unigestion Holding SA now owns 23,661 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,900,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Davis R M Inc. boosted its stake in shares of MetLife by 5.3% during the 1st quarter. Davis R M Inc. now owns 3,315 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $266,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.99% of the company's stock.

MetLife Stock Performance

MetLife stock traded up $1.26 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $76.56. 4,008,335 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,436,813. The company has a quick ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. MetLife, Inc. has a one year low of $65.21 and a one year high of $89.05. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $78.02 and a 200 day moving average price of $78.92. The company has a market cap of $51.39 billion, a PE ratio of 12.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 0.85.

MetLife (NYSE:MET - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The financial services provider reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.32 by ($0.30). The company had revenue of $17.34 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.58 billion. MetLife had a net margin of 5.83% and a return on equity of 19.88%. MetLife's revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.28 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.65 EPS for the current year.

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

MetLife Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 5th will be given a $0.5675 dividend. This represents a $2.27 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 5th. MetLife's dividend payout ratio is 38.47%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of MetLife from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 24th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $97.00 price objective (up from $94.00) on shares of MetLife in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on MetLife from $100.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on MetLife from $86.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price objective on MetLife from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, MetLife has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $96.00.

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.