Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. Has $329.62 Million Position in MetLife, Inc. $MET

Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 2.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,001,662 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 97,215 shares during the period. MetLife comprises 1.6% of Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 28th largest position. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. owned approximately 0.60% of MetLife worth $329,617,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in MetLife by 16.6% in the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 17,234 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,414,000 after purchasing an additional 2,450 shares in the last quarter. RBA Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of MetLife by 0.3% in the third quarter. RBA Wealth Management LLC now owns 77,862 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $6,413,000 after buying an additional 244 shares in the last quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in MetLife by 7.3% during the third quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 9,185 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $757,000 after acquiring an additional 621 shares in the last quarter. IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd raised its position in MetLife by 3.1% during the third quarter. IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd now owns 154,301 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $12,710,000 after acquiring an additional 4,650 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ABN AMRO Bank N.V. lifted its stake in MetLife by 1.7% in the third quarter. ABN AMRO Bank N.V. now owns 2,246,170 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $184,359,000 after acquiring an additional 36,950 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.99% of the company’s stock.

MetLife Trading Up 1.7%

Shares of MET stock opened at $76.61 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $50.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 0.77. MetLife, Inc. has a 1 year low of $65.21 and a 1 year high of $87.39. The company has a current ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $78.90 and a 200 day simple moving average of $78.82.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.34 by $0.24. The firm had revenue of $18.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.43 billion. MetLife had a return on equity of 21.81% and a net margin of 4.38%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 27.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.08 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.5675 per share. 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 presently 48.30%.

Key MetLife News

Here are the key news stories impacting MetLife this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 adjusted EPS beat consensus and operating performance showed strength — MetLife reported stronger-than-expected adjusted earnings driven by higher volumes across key units. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Management set multi-year targets: double‑digit adjusted EPS growth and a $25B free cash flow objective under the New Frontier strategy — investors see this as a credible roadmap for capital returns and earnings growth. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Investment returns and segment mix helped results — strong performance in Asia, Group Benefits and Retirement & Income Solutions (RIS) provided earnings tailwinds. Management highlighted these as engines of record EPS growth. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst reaction is largely supportive — recent notes and analyst commentary following the release show constructive views on the beat and the strategy outlook. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Full call materials and transcripts are available for review — investors can dig into prepared remarks and the full Q&A for details on assumptions and risks. Read More. | Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Management flagged macro labor dynamics — CFO Drew Matus commented there’s “no demand for labor,” a macro observation that could temper wage-driven premium growth but is not an immediate company‑specific headwind. Read More. | Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue missed some estimates and there were one‑off headwinds (Mexico VAT impact) that trimmed top‑line — this explains some caution beneath the beat and is a factor to watch in next-quarter guidance. Read More. | Read More.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MET has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings cut MetLife from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of MetLife from $94.00 to $97.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Mizuho set a $102.00 target price on shares of MetLife in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Morgan Stanley set a $101.00 target price on shares of MetLife and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on shares of MetLife from $94.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $95.64.

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.