Rhumbline Advisers Sells 102,094 Shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

Rhumbline Advisers decreased its position in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET - Free Report) by 8.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,084,653 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 102,094 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers owned about 0.16% of MetLife worth $87,087,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ball & Co Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of MetLife during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Transce3nd LLC bought a new stake in shares of MetLife during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of MetLife during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in shares of MetLife during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Graney & King LLC bought a new stake in shares of MetLife during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Institutional investors own 94.99% of the company's stock.

MetLife Stock Performance

MET stock traded up $1.43 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $79.99. 1,943,023 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,394,743. The company has a current ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $53.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.40, a P/E/G ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $76.15 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $80.87. MetLife, Inc. has a 12 month low of $65.21 and a 12 month high of $89.05.

MetLife (NYSE:MET - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.00 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $18.57 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.06 billion. MetLife had a return on equity of 20.42% and a net margin of 6.19%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 15.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.83 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 6th will be given a dividend of $0.5675 per share. This is a boost from MetLife's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 6th. This represents a $2.27 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.84%. MetLife's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.91%.

MetLife declared that its board has authorized a stock 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 reacquire up to 5.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MET. Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of MetLife in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on MetLife from $94.00 to $99.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, May 19th. Barclays cut their price target on MetLife from $95.00 to $88.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on MetLife from $88.00 to $86.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, UBS Group raised 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, MetLife presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $94.17.

MetLife 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.