Hantz Financial Services Inc. Sells 9,584 Shares of MetLife, Inc. $MET

Hantz Financial Services Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 5.7% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 157,121 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 9,584 shares during the quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in MetLife were worth $12,403,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MET. Activest Wealth Management raised its position in shares of MetLife by 205.8% during the 4th quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 315 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 212 shares during the last quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of MetLife by 790.0% in the 3rd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 356 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 316 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its holdings 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 valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the period. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of MetLife in the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Albion Financial Group UT acquired a new position in shares of MetLife in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Institutional investors own 94.99% of the company’s stock.

MetLife Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MET opened at $83.97 on Monday. The firm 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. The company has a current ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. MetLife, Inc. has a 1-year low of $67.33 and a 1-year high of $85.29. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $75.05 and a 200 day moving average price of $76.65.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The financial services provider reported $2.42 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.15. MetLife had a net margin of 4.66% and a return on equity of 22.60%. The firm had revenue of $14.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.49 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.96 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.5925 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 12th. This represents a $2.37 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. This is a positive change from MetLife’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 45.93%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on MET. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of MetLife from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of MetLife from $87.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of MetLife from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Evercore set a $96.00 price target on shares of MetLife in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, 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 report on Tuesday, April 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $95.15.

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.