Principal Financial Group Inc. Grows Stock Position in MetLife, Inc. $MET

Key Points

• Principal Financial Group increased its MetLife stake by 2.2% in the fourth quarter, bringing its holdings to 622,789 shares valued at about $49.2 million. Overall, institutional investors still own nearly 95% of MetLife’s stock.
• MetLife beat earnings estimates with Q1 EPS of $2.42 versus the $2.27 forecast, though revenue came in below expectations at $14.18 billion. The company also posted year-over-year revenue growth of 2.7% and guided analysts to expect full-year EPS of 9.89.
• The company raised its dividend to $0.5925 per share quarterly, up from $0.57 previously, for an annualized yield of about 3.0%. Meanwhile, analysts remain generally positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $93.85.

Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET - Free Report) by 2.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 622,789 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 13,657 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.09% of MetLife worth $49,163,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MET. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in MetLife by 12.1% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 72,555,335 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $5,727,518,000 after buying an additional 7,805,814 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of MetLife by 105.3% in the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 3,305,620 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $271,424,000 after purchasing an additional 1,695,563 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of MetLife by 173.4% in the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,641,253 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $135,190,000 after purchasing an additional 1,040,894 shares during the last quarter. Man Group plc raised its stake in shares of MetLife by 325.5% in the second quarter. Man Group plc now owns 1,344,551 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $108,129,000 after purchasing an additional 1,028,554 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab purchased a new position in shares of MetLife in the fourth quarter worth about $81,494,000. 94.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MetLife Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of MET opened at $78.08 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. MetLife, Inc. has a 12 month low of $67.33 and a 12 month high of $83.85. The stock's 50 day moving average is $73.33 and its two-hundred day moving average is $76.53. The firm has a market cap of $50.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.13, a PEG ratio of 0.70 and a beta of 0.78.

MetLife (NYSE:MET - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The financial services provider reported $2.42 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.27 by $0.15. MetLife had a return on equity of 22.57% and a net margin of 4.66%.The company had revenue of $14.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.49 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.96 earnings per share. MetLife's quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 12th will be issued a $0.5925 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 12th. This is an increase from MetLife's previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. This represents a $2.37 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. MetLife's dividend payout ratio is 43.99%.

Trending Headlines about MetLife

Here are the key news stories impacting MetLife this week:

• Positive Sentiment: MetLife reported Q1 2026 EPS of $2.42, beating Wall Street’s $2.27 estimate, with strength tied to higher investment income, underwriting gains, and solid growth in group benefits and Asia business. Article: MET Tops Q1 EPS Estimates on Strong Investment Income and Volume Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Reuters and Bloomberg highlighted that MetLife’s quarterly profit jumped, helped by better PE returns and strong demand in Asia, reinforcing the view that core earnings momentum remains healthy. Article: Insurer MetLife's quarterly profit jumps on strong Asia demand
• Positive Sentiment: MetLife’s earnings call summary and presentation emphasize improving operating performance and strong first-quarter financial results, which may continue to support sentiment around the stock. Article: MetLife, Inc. Q1 2026 Earnings Call Summary
• Neutral Sentiment: News that MetLife Stadium is replacing turf with natural grass ahead of World Cup matches is tied to the venue, not MetLife’s insurance business, so it is unlikely to have a direct impact on the company’s stock. Article: Grass installation starts at MetLife Stadium ahead of World Cup
• Neutral Sentiment: Additional stadium and World Cup logistics coverage, including pitch installation and transit pricing, looks more relevant to event operations than MetLife’s fundamentals. Article: NJ Transit lowers price to $105 for train tickets to World Cup games at MetLife Stadium
• Negative Sentiment: The main offset in the earnings release was a revenue miss versus expectations, which could cap upside if investors decide earnings strength was driven more by favorable investment returns than by top-line growth. Article: NJ Transit lowers World Cup train ticket prices from NYC to MetLife — and it’s still an 800% markup

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on MET shares. Bank of America reduced their price objective on MetLife from $103.00 to $99.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Mizuho set a $95.00 price objective on MetLife in a research note on Friday. Wall Street Zen cut MetLife from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday. Weiss Ratings upgraded MetLife from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on MetLife from $89.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $93.85.

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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