Osmosis Investment Management UK Ltd Takes Position in MetLife, Inc. $MET

Osmosis Investment Management UK Ltd bought a new position in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor bought 22,042 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,865,000.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Commonwealth Retirement Investments LLC raised its stake in MetLife by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Commonwealth Retirement Investments LLC now owns 26,953 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,128,000 after buying an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of MetLife by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 10,156 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $802,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the period. Kathmere Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of MetLife by 2.4% in the first quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 5,813 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $411,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares during the period. Worth Asset Management LLC increased its position in MetLife by 3.1% during the second quarter. Worth Asset Management LLC now owns 4,551 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $385,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bleakley Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in MetLife by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 29,687 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,343,000 after acquiring an additional 141 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.99% of the company’s stock.

MetLife Trading Up 2.0%

Shares of NYSE:MET opened at $96.20 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $92.58 and a 200 day moving average of $82.32. The company has a market cap of $61.90 billion, a PE ratio of 18.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.73 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 0.52. MetLife, Inc. has a 12-month low of $67.33 and a 12-month high of $100.93.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The financial services provider reported $2.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.30 by $0.13. MetLife had a net margin of 4.57% and a return on equity of 23.39%. The company had revenue of $13.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.67 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.02 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.72 EPS for the current year.

MetLife Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 4th will be given a dividend of $0.5925 per share. This represents a $2.37 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 4th. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.40%.

MetLife announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Wednesday, August 5th that allows the company to repurchase $3.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to buy up to 4.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MET has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on MetLife from $86.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of MetLife from $101.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of MetLife from $94.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Atlantic Securities set a $103.00 target price on shares of MetLife in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of MetLife from $87.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, MetLife presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $102.21.

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.