Strs Ohio Boosts Position in MetLife, Inc. $MET

Key Points

• Strs Ohio increased its stake in MetLife by 16.6% in Q4 to 326,091 shares worth $25.74M, while institutional ownership remains very high (94.99%) and Vanguard grew its position to 72,555,335 shares.
• MetLife raised its quarterly dividend to $0.5925 (from $0.57), an annualized $2.37 payout with a ~3.0% yield; the ex-dividend/record date is May 12 and the payment date is June 9.
• Analysts are broadly positive with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $93.38, amid firm-specific targets ranging from Barclays' $89 to Bank of America's $99 and Evercore's $96.

Strs Ohio grew its stake in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET - Free Report) by 16.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 326,091 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 46,469 shares during the quarter. Strs Ohio's holdings in MetLife were worth $25,742,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of MET. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position 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 worth $5,727,518,000 after buying an additional 7,805,814 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in 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 buying an additional 1,695,563 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in 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 buying an additional 1,040,894 shares in the last quarter. Man Group plc increased its position in 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 buying an additional 1,028,554 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab purchased a new stake in MetLife in the fourth quarter worth about $81,494,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.99% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting MetLife

Here are the key news stories impacting MetLife this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts expect higher net investment income and a consensus EPS uptick for Q1, boosting the odds of an earnings beat and supporting valuation multiple expansion. Can Higher Investment Income Help MetLife Deliver a Q1 Earnings Beat?
• Positive Sentiment: HCLTech expanded its partnership around MetLife Stadium and became an official AI partner for the Jets and Giants — a branding and technology deal that increases visibility and could create tech-driven revenue/efficiency opportunities for stadium-related services. HCLTech expands Cornerstone Partnership with MetLife Stadium
• Positive Sentiment: MetLife was ranked "best for multiple pets" in a 2026 ranking — a positive signal for momentum in its pet-insurance product line and distribution/brand strength in a growing segment. MetLife named best for multiple pets in 2026 ranking
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst note exploring metrics beyond revenue and EPS highlights items investors should watch in the Q1 report (reserve development, spread income and capital deployment) — useful for interpreting the quarter but neutral until results are released. Exploring Analyst Estimates for MetLife (MET) Q1 Earnings, Beyond Revenue and EPS
• Neutral Sentiment: Oxford Properties hired a former MetLife executive as its U.S. head — a routine industry move that signals MetLife talent is valued externally but has limited near-term impact on MET's fundamentals. Oxford Properties Hires MetLife Exec As New Head Of U.S.
• Neutral Sentiment: MetLife paid cash for a 140-unit Peoria apartment complex — shows continued deployment into real assets; a modest capital-allocation item that is unlikely to move the stock materially by itself. MetLife Drops Cash on 140-Unit Peoria Villa Enclave
• Negative Sentiment: Sun Life reached a settlement in a class-action tied to legacy policies originally from MetLife — highlights ongoing legal/resolution risk tied to past products and could keep a watchlist on reserve or reputational impacts. Sun Life Reaches Settlement in Class Action Case Related to Policies From MetLife

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MET has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a "moderate buy" rating and issued a $87.00 price target on shares of MetLife in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. Evercore set a $96.00 price target on MetLife in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Barclays cut their target price on MetLife from $92.00 to $89.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Bank of America cut their target price on MetLife from $103.00 to $99.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded MetLife from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $93.38.

MetLife Stock Performance

NYSE:MET opened at $80.29 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. MetLife, Inc. has a 12-month low of $67.33 and a 12-month high of $83.85. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $73.14 and a 200 day moving average price of $76.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $52.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.08, a P/E/G ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.78.

MetLife (NYSE:MET - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.34 by $0.15. MetLife had a return on equity of 21.81% and a net margin of 4.38%.The firm had revenue of $52.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $31.43 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.08 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 27.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.5925 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 12th. This is a boost from MetLife's previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. This represents a $2.37 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. MetLife's dividend payout ratio is currently 48.30%.

MetLife Profile

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.