Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd Purchases Shares of 19,356 MetLife, Inc. $MET

Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new stake in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm purchased 19,356 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,528,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MET. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in MetLife by 9.0% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 4,240 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $347,000 after purchasing an additional 351 shares during the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP purchased a new stake in MetLife during the first quarter worth approximately $307,000. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in MetLife by 187.6% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 33,378 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,680,000 after purchasing an additional 21,771 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in MetLife during the second quarter worth approximately $404,000. Finally, Jump Financial LLC purchased a new stake in MetLife during the second quarter worth approximately $444,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.99% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on MET shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on MetLife from $95.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. TD Cowen decreased their target price on MetLife from $91.00 to $88.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on MetLife from $81.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Weiss Ratings raised MetLife from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on MetLife from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MetLife has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $95.31.

MetLife Trading Up 1.3%

MET opened at $88.69 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $57.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 0.78. MetLife, Inc. has a 52 week low of $67.33 and a 52 week high of $89.44. The business’s 50 day moving average is $79.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $77.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 0.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last released its quarterly 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.49 billion. MetLife had a return on equity of 22.60% and a net margin of 4.66%.The firm’s revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.96 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.98 EPS for the current year.

MetLife Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 12th were given a dividend of $0.5925 per share. This represents a $2.37 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. This is a positive change from MetLife’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 12th. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio is presently 45.93%.

MetLife News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting MetLife this week:

• Positive Sentiment: MetLife expanded its settlement solutions business with a new deferred-payment offering for non-physical injury claims, suggesting continued product innovation and growth opportunities in a specialized insurance segment. MetLife Broadens Settlement Solutions Portfolio With NQA-FA
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts continue to view MetLife favorably, with a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy,” which can help reinforce investor confidence in the stock. MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

About MetLife

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.