Sandy Spring Bank Has $57,000 Holdings in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

Sandy Spring Bank lifted its stake in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 134.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 861 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 493 shares during the period. Sandy Spring Bank’s holdings in MetLife were worth $57,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. DHJJ Financial Advisors Ltd. bought a new stake in MetLife during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. FWL Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in MetLife during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Quintet Private Bank Europe S.A. bought a new stake in MetLife during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Planned Solutions Inc. bought a new stake in MetLife during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Eagle Bay Advisors LLC bought a new stake in MetLife during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. 89.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Piper Sandler increased their price target on MetLife from $74.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded MetLife from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $70.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Monday, January 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on MetLife from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. UBS Group decreased their price objective on MetLife from $87.00 to $82.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on MetLife from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $79.08.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Bill Pappas sold 27,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.27, for a total transaction of $1,951,290.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 57,768 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,174,893.36. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In related news, EVP Bill Pappas sold 27,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.27, for a total transaction of $1,951,290.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 57,768 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,174,893.36. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Ramy Tadros sold 4,026 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.90, for a total value of $289,469.40. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 146,981 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,567,933.90. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.32% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

MetLife Stock Performance

MET stock opened at $70.14 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $70.81 and its 200-day moving average is $66.55. The company has a quick ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. The company has a market cap of $50.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.04. MetLife, Inc. has a twelve month low of $48.95 and a twelve month high of $74.68.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The financial services provider reported $1.93 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.95 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $18.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.07 billion. MetLife had a net margin of 2.36% and a return on equity of 19.48%. Equities research analysts forecast that MetLife, Inc. will post 8.71 EPS for the current year.

MetLife Company Profile

MetLife, Inc, a financial services company, provides insurance, annuities, employee benefits, and asset management services worldwide. It operates through six segments: Retirement and Income Solutions; Group Benefits; 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.