MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) Shares Sold by LSV Asset Management

LSV Asset Management trimmed its position in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET - Free Report) by 1.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,647,300 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 45,800 shares during the quarter. LSV Asset Management owned about 0.36% of MetLife worth $175,066,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of MetLife during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Quintet Private Bank Europe S.A. acquired a new stake in shares of MetLife during the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Planned Solutions Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of MetLife during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners purchased a new stake in shares of MetLife in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in shares of MetLife in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.81% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MET has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on MetLife from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on MetLife from $74.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. StockNews.com upgraded MetLife from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of MetLife from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, April 15th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of MetLife from $87.00 to $82.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, MetLife presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $79.23.

MetLife Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE MET traded up $0.28 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $70.52. 3,361,215 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,164,878. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $71.66 and its 200-day simple moving average is $67.45. The company has a market cap of $50.29 billion, a PE ratio of 24.23, a P/E/G ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.03. MetLife, Inc. has a twelve month low of $48.95 and a twelve month high of $74.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.16 and a quick ratio of 0.16.

MetLife (NYSE:MET - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The financial services provider reported $1.83 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.83. MetLife had a net margin of 3.50% and a return on equity of 20.39%. The company had revenue of $17.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $17.73 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.52 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that MetLife, Inc. will post 8.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 11th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 7th will be paid a $0.545 dividend. This represents a $2.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.09%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 6th. This is an increase from MetLife's previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. MetLife's dividend payout ratio is currently 71.48%.

MetLife declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, May 1st that authorizes the company to repurchase $3.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the financial services provider to purchase up to 6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Bill Pappas sold 27,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.27, for a total value of $1,951,290.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 57,768 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,174,893.36. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, EVP Bill Pappas sold 27,000 shares of MetLife stock in a transaction on Monday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.27, for a total value of $1,951,290.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 57,768 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,174,893.36. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Ramy Tadros sold 4,026 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.90, for a total transaction of $289,469.40. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 146,981 shares in the company, valued at $10,567,933.90. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.32% of the company's stock.

About MetLife

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.