Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Increases Stock Holdings in MetLife, Inc. $MET

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its holdings in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 699,678 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 28,477 shares during the quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned about 0.11% of MetLife worth $57,632,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MET. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of MetLife by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,585 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $295,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the period. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in MetLife by 4.2% during the third quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,192 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $263,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Ignite Planners LLC raised its stake in MetLife by 2.2% during the second quarter. Ignite Planners LLC now owns 6,366 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $491,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the period. Legacy Capital Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of MetLife by 3.2% in the 2nd quarter. Legacy Capital Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,355 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $350,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Abound Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of MetLife by 29.9% during the 3rd quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 635 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 146 shares during the period. 94.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MetLife Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MET opened at $76.58 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.18 and a quick ratio of 0.18. MetLife, Inc. has a 1-year low of $65.21 and a 1-year high of $87.93. The company has a market capitalization of $50.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.42, a PEG ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 0.76. The business has a 50-day moving average of $78.62 and a 200-day moving average of $78.86.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The financial services provider reported $2.37 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.30 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $12.46 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.64 billion. MetLife had a return on equity of 21.00% and a net margin of 5.30%.The company’s revenue was down 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.95 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 3rd will be paid a $0.5675 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 3rd. This represents a $2.27 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio is 42.75%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently weighed in on MET. UBS Group cut their target price on MetLife from $95.00 to $94.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of MetLife in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Barclays set a $90.00 price objective on MetLife in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on MetLife from $92.00 to $90.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. Finally, Mizuho set a $102.00 target price on shares of MetLife in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $95.42.

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.