SWS Partners Invests $3.15 Million in MetLife, Inc. $MET

SWS Partners purchased a new stake in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 37,176 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $3,145,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in MetLife by 12.1% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 72,555,335 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,727,518,000 after buying an additional 7,805,814 shares during the last quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of MetLife by 22.9% in the 4th quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 11,883,338 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $938,071,000 after buying an additional 2,211,315 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of MetLife during the fourth quarter worth $639,986,000. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in shares of MetLife by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 7,012,198 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $553,543,000 after acquiring an additional 176,811 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in shares of MetLife by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 5,201,175 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $410,581,000 after acquiring an additional 126,098 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.99% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded MetLife from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Monday, June 15th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of MetLife from $93.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of MetLife from $87.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of MetLife from $102.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of MetLife from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $101.07.

MetLife Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of MetLife stock opened at $97.57 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $91.52 and a 200 day simple moving average of $81.55. The stock has a market cap of $62.78 billion, a PE ratio of 18.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a quick ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 0.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. MetLife, Inc. has a 12 month low of $67.33 and a 12 month high of $100.93.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The financial services provider reported $2.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.30 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $13.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.67 billion. MetLife had a return on equity of 23.39% and a net margin of 4.57%.The company’s revenue was up 10.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.02 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.7 EPS for the current year.

MetLife Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 4th will be issued a dividend of $0.5925 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 4th. This represents a $2.37 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. MetLife’s payout ratio is currently 45.40%.

MetLife announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Wednesday, August 5th that permits the company to repurchase $3.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to repurchase up to 4.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

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.