MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) Shares Sold by Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. trimmed its position in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 179,901 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 757 shares during the period. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in MetLife were worth $10,170,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Jones Financial Companies Lllp acquired a new stake in shares of MetLife during the first quarter worth about $26,000. Quintet Private Bank Europe S.A. acquired a new stake in MetLife during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $26,000. FWL Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MetLife in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MetLife in the second quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Studio Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of MetLife during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.14% of the company’s stock.

MetLife Price Performance

MET stock traded down $0.28 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $65.65. The stock had a trading volume of 7,686,155 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,900,529. MetLife, Inc. has a 52-week low of $48.95 and a 52-week high of $77.36. The company has a current ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 0.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $62.30 and its 200 day simple moving average is $58.75. The company has a market cap of $49.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.09.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 2nd. The financial services provider reported $1.94 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.85 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $16.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.91 billion. MetLife had a net margin of 3.14% and a return on equity of 17.42%. The business’s revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.00 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that MetLife, Inc. will post 7.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 8th were issued a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.17%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 7th. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio is currently 80.93%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Argus boosted their price objective on MetLife from $70.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 14th. TheStreet upgraded shares of MetLife from a “c+” rating to a “b-” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 10th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of MetLife from $78.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 18th. StockNews.com started coverage on MetLife in a research note on Thursday, August 17th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on MetLife from $76.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 9th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $76.40.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Marlene Debel sold 9,391 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.18, for a total value of $593,323.38. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 77,638 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,905,168.84. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.32% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

MetLife Company Profile

MetLife, Inc, a financial services company, provides insurance, annuities, employee benefits, and asset management services worldwide. It operates through five segments: U.S.; Asia; Latin America; Europe, the Middle East and Africa; and MetLife Holdings. The company offers life, dental, group short-and long-term disability, individual disability, pet insurance, accidental death and dismemberment, vision, and accident and health coverages, as well as prepaid legal plans; administrative services-only arrangements to employers; and general and separate account, and synthetic guaranteed interest contracts, as well as private floating rate funding agreements.