D.A. Davidson & CO. Purchases 21,993 Shares of MetLife, Inc. $MET

D.A. Davidson & CO. lifted its position in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 73.2% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 52,023 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 21,993 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO.’s holdings in MetLife were worth $4,107,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MET. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 316 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its position 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 acquired a new position in MetLife during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Albion Financial Group UT acquired a new position in MetLife during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in MetLife during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Institutional investors own 94.99% of the company’s stock.

MetLife News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting MetLife this week:

• Positive Sentiment: MetLife raised its quarterly common dividend to $0.5925 (4.4% increase), implying a ~3.0% yield and signaling confidence in capital generation and payout sustainability. This directly supports investor income expectations and helps justify the stock’s gain. MetLife Increases Common Stock Dividend by 4.4%
• Positive Sentiment: A MetLife poll shows a majority of employers back embedding guaranteed lifetime income options into workplace retirement plans — a potential tailwind for MetLife’s annuity/retirement products and future fee/contract revenue. Majority of Employers Support Embedding Guaranteed Lifetime Income Options into Workplace Retirement Plans, MetLife Poll Finds
• Positive Sentiment: MetLife is committing ~$170M to redevelop Chicago’s Water Tower Place, a strategic real-estate bet that could boost long-term earnings from property holdings and signal active portfolio management. Investors may view this as a growth/asset optimization move. MetLife bets $170 million on Water Tower Place transformation
• Neutral Sentiment: MetLife research cited in several outlets warns that major dental bills can quickly deplete savings — this raises awareness of consumer exposure and could modestly boost demand for MetLife’s dental/ancillary insurance products, but it’s more PR than immediate earnings news. MetLife warns major dental bills can drain savings fast
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple reports (NYT, local outlets) about World Cup crowds and travel warnings around MetLife Stadium generate publicity and short-term operational focus for the stadium/venue, but these logistical stories are unlikely to move core insurance results. New Yorkers to World Cup Fans: Please Don’t Walk to MetLife

MetLife Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of NYSE MET opened at $78.92 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a current ratio of 0.20. MetLife, Inc. has a 52-week low of $67.33 and a 52-week high of $83.85. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $73.10 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $76.57. The stock has a market cap of $51.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 0.74.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.34 by $0.15. MetLife had a net margin of 4.38% and a return on equity of 21.81%. The firm had revenue of $52.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.43 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.08 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 27.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.85 EPS for the current year.

MetLife Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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 is an increase from MetLife’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 12th. This represents a $2.37 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.30%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Evercore set a $96.00 price objective on shares of MetLife in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on shares of MetLife from $91.00 to $88.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of MetLife from $103.00 to $99.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of MetLife from $92.00 to $89.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Mizuho lowered their price objective on shares of MetLife from $100.00 to $93.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $93.38.

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.