Swedbank AB Sells 931,051 Shares of MetLife, Inc. $MET

Key Points

• Swedbank AB trimmed its MetLife position by 28.1%, selling 931,051 shares and leaving 2,385,228 shares (about 0.36% of the company) valued at roughly $188.3 million.
• MetLife beat Q1 EPS expectations ($2.42 vs. $2.27) driven by investment/private‑equity gains and strength in group benefits/Asia, but reported a notable revenue miss ($14.18B vs. ~$19.49B).
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.5925 (annualized $2.37, ~3.0% yield), and analysts carry a consensus price target near $93.69 with a "Moderate Buy" tilt.

Swedbank AB lessened its position in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET - Free Report) by 28.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,385,228 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 931,051 shares during the period. Swedbank AB owned about 0.36% of MetLife worth $188,290,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Activest Wealth Management increased its holdings in MetLife by 205.8% during the 4th quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 315 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 212 shares in the last quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC increased its holdings in MetLife by 790.0% during the 3rd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 356 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 316 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its holdings in MetLife by 58.9% during the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 383 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC bought a new position in MetLife during the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Albion Financial Group UT bought a new position in MetLife during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Institutional investors own 94.99% of the company's stock.

MetLife Trading Down 1.8%

MetLife stock opened at $78.75 on Friday. MetLife, Inc. has a 52 week low of $67.33 and a 52 week high of $83.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a current ratio of 0.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $51.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.26, a PEG ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.78. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $73.33 and a 200 day simple moving average of $76.53.

MetLife (NYSE:MET - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The financial services provider reported $2.42 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.15. MetLife had a return on equity of 22.41% and a net margin of 4.66%.The business had revenue of $14.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $19.49 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.96 earnings per share. MetLife's quarterly revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.87 earnings per share for the current year.

MetLife Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 12th will be given a dividend of $0.5925 per share. This represents a $2.37 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. This is a boost from MetLife's previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 12th. MetLife's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.30%.

MetLife News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting MetLife this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 EPS beat: MetLife reported $2.42 EPS vs. $2.27 expected, helped by higher investment income and improved private‑equity returns — a key driver of the quarterly profit beat. Bloomberg: PE returns lift earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Business-line strength: Management cited volume growth and favorable results in group benefits and strong demand in Asia that boosted profitability and underwriting performance. Reuters: Profit jumps on Asia demand
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor materials available: Management posted the earnings slide deck, CFO video update and the conference‑call transcript/slides for deeper detail on results and capital deployment. Useful for assessing sustainability of investment gains. MarketBeat: Conference call & materials
• Neutral Sentiment: Brand exposure from MetLife Stadium: The stadium is preparing for the World Cup (natural grass installation, final pitch), which raises brand visibility but has limited direct financial impact on the insurer’s fundamentals. News12: Stadium grass replacement
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue miss: Reported revenue ($14.18B) fell well short of consensus (~$19.49B), which may concern investors about top‑line momentum and offset the EPS beat driven by investment returns. MSN: Tops earnings despite revenue miss

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on MET shares. Barclays lifted their target price on MetLife from $89.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a "moderate buy" rating and issued a $87.00 target price on shares of MetLife in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. Wall Street Zen raised MetLife from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 11th. Weiss Ratings raised MetLife from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on MetLife from $101.00 to $93.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. One 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $93.69.

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.

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