LSV Asset Management Sells 100,700 Shares of MetLife, Inc. $MET

LSV Asset Management lessened its position in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 6.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,531,600 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 100,700 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management’s holdings in MetLife were worth $120,905,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MET. Activest Wealth Management raised its stake in MetLife by 205.8% during the fourth quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 315 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 212 shares during the last quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC raised its stake in MetLife by 790.0% during the third quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 356 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 316 shares during the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its stake in MetLife by 58.9% during the fourth quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 383 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC bought a new position in MetLife during the third quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Albion Financial Group UT bought a new position in MetLife during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Institutional investors own 94.99% of the company’s stock.

MetLife Trading Down 0.4%

NYSE:MET opened at $83.97 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.20 and a quick ratio of 0.20. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $75.05 and a 200-day moving average of $76.67. The company has a market cap of $54.03 billion, a PE ratio of 16.27, a PEG ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 0.78. MetLife, Inc. has a one year low of $67.33 and a one year high of $85.29.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The financial services provider reported $2.42 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.27 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $14.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.49 billion. MetLife had a net margin of 4.66% and a return on equity of 22.60%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.96 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Increases Dividend

The company 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 $0.5925 dividend. This represents a $2.37 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 12th. This is a positive change from MetLife’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. MetLife’s payout ratio is currently 45.93%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of MetLife from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of MetLife from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of MetLife from $103.00 to $99.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of MetLife from $89.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of MetLife from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. One equities research 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $95.15.

MetLife Company 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.