MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) Shares Sold by Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC

Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC lowered its stake in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET - Free Report) by 19.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 18,018 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 4,323 shares during the period. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC's holdings in MetLife were worth $1,475,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Transce3nd LLC purchased a new position in shares of MetLife in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Quarry LP purchased a new position in MetLife in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of MetLife in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in shares of MetLife during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Graney & King LLC purchased a new position in MetLife in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 94.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MetLife Trading Up 3.5%

MET traded up $2.73 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $80.58. The company's stock had a trading volume of 866,700 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,393,505. The firm has a market cap of $54.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.50, a PEG ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 0.85. MetLife, Inc. has a 52-week low of $65.21 and a 52-week high of $89.05. 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 50-day moving average price of $77.09 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $81.19.

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

MetLife declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, April 30th that allows the company to buyback $3.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to purchase up to 5.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

MetLife Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 6th will be paid a $0.5675 dividend. This is a positive change from MetLife's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.27 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.82%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 6th. MetLife's payout ratio is currently 36.91%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of MetLife in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $97.00 price objective on the stock. Piper Sandler increased their target price on MetLife from $92.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of MetLife from $88.00 to $86.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of MetLife from $109.00 to $94.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on MetLife from $98.00 to $95.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $92.69.

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.