MetLife, Inc. $MET Holdings Increased by Kentucky Retirement Systems

Kentucky Retirement Systems lifted its stake in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 162.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 92,556 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 57,234 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems’ holdings in MetLife were worth $6,546,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Activest Wealth Management lifted its position in MetLife by 205.8% in the fourth quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 315 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 212 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its stake in shares of MetLife by 58.9% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Garton & Associates Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MetLife in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Gunpowder Capital Management LLC dba Oliver Wealth Management bought a new position in MetLife during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Prosperity Bancshares Inc acquired a new position in MetLife during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. 94.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

MetLife Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:MET opened at $97.10 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $88.17 and a 200 day simple moving average of $79.90. MetLife, Inc. has a 52 week low of $67.33 and a 52 week high of $97.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a current ratio of 0.20. The company has a market cap of $62.48 billion, a PE ratio of 18.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 0.78.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The financial services provider reported $2.42 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.27 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $14.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.49 billion. MetLife had a net margin of 4.66% and a return on equity of 22.60%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.96 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.89 earnings per share for the current year.

MetLife Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 4th will be paid a $0.5925 dividend. This represents a $2.37 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 4th. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio is currently 45.93%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on MET shares. Bank of America dropped their price target on shares of MetLife from $103.00 to $99.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of MetLife from $87.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Atlantic Securities set a $103.00 target price on shares of MetLife in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of MetLife from $93.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on MetLife from $97.00 to $103.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $100.50.

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.