MetLife, Inc. (MET) To Go Ex-Dividend on August 4th

MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) announced a quarterly dividend on Tuesday, July 7th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 4th will be paid a dividend of 0.5925 per share by the financial services provider on Tuesday, September 8th. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 4th.

MetLife has increased its dividend payment by an average of 0.0%annually over the last three years and has raised its dividend annually for the last 12 consecutive years. MetLife has a payout ratio of 22.9% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect MetLife to earn $10.94 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $2.37 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 21.7%.

MetLife Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of NYSE:MET opened at $96.21 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $88.67 and a 200 day moving average of $80.13. The company has a market cap of $61.90 billion, a PE ratio of 18.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.74 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a current ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. MetLife has a 12-month low of $67.33 and a 12-month high of $97.80.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The financial services provider reported $2.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.27 by $0.15. MetLife had a net margin of 4.66% and a return on equity of 22.60%. The company had revenue of $14.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.49 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.96 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that MetLife will post 9.89 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Activest Wealth Management lifted its position in MetLife by 205.8% during the fourth quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 315 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 212 shares during the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its position in shares of MetLife by 58.9% during the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 383 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Garton & Associates Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MetLife during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Gunpowder Capital Management LLC dba Oliver Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of MetLife in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Prosperity Bancshares Inc purchased a new position in MetLife in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. 94.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MetLife Company 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.