MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) Shares Sold by Signaturefd LLC

Signaturefd LLC cut its stake in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 5.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 11,625 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 720 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC’s holdings in MetLife were worth $769,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Planned Solutions Inc. bought a new stake in shares of MetLife in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Quintet Private Bank Europe S.A. acquired a new stake in MetLife in the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners acquired a new position in shares of MetLife during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in shares of MetLife in the 3rd quarter worth $36,000. Finally, DT Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MetLife in the fourth quarter valued at $40,000. 89.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of MetLife from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $70.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Monday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on MetLife from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 15th. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on MetLife from $74.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 5th. UBS Group dropped their target price on MetLife from $87.00 to $82.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of MetLife from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, MetLife presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $79.23.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

MetLife Price Performance

NYSE MET opened at $72.23 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $52.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.47, a P/E/G ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a current ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. MetLife, Inc. has a 1 year low of $48.95 and a 1 year high of $74.68. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $71.28 and a 200 day simple moving average of $67.02.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 31st. The financial services provider reported $1.93 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.95 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $18.72 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.07 billion. MetLife had a net margin of 2.36% and a return on equity of 19.48%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that MetLife, Inc. will post 8.71 EPS for the current year.

MetLife Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 11th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.545 per share. This represents a $2.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.02%. This is a positive change from MetLife’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 113.66%.

About MetLife

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.