Strategic Blueprint LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

Strategic Blueprint LLC lessened its stake in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 47.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,858 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 2,576 shares during the quarter. Strategic Blueprint LLC’s holdings in MetLife were worth $236,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of MetLife by 3.4% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 59,622,348 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,418,612,000 after acquiring an additional 1,974,268 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB acquired a new position in shares of MetLife during the 1st quarter valued at about $131,456,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of MetLife by 7,837.0% in the 2nd quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,129,353 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $79,250,000 after buying an additional 1,115,124 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in MetLife by 22.4% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,396,274 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $378,799,000 after acquiring an additional 988,666 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. increased its stake in MetLife by 29.7% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 2,120,275 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $157,133,000 after acquiring an additional 485,811 shares during the last quarter. 89.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MetLife Price Performance

MetLife stock opened at $78.43 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $54.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $80.59 and a 200-day simple moving average of $74.84. The company has a current ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. MetLife, Inc. has a 12-month low of $58.89 and a 12-month high of $86.94.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The financial services provider reported $2.28 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.13 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $17.82 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.57 billion. MetLife had a return on equity of 20.41% and a net margin of 5.27%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.94 EPS. Equities analysts expect that MetLife, Inc. will post 8.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 5th will be given a $0.545 dividend. This represents a $2.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.78%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 5th. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 43.95%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of MetLife from $86.00 to $85.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 19th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on MetLife from $86.00 to $85.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 8th. StockNews.com downgraded MetLife from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 4th. TD Cowen assumed coverage on shares of MetLife in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $97.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of MetLife from $85.00 to $92.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $88.38.

MetLife Company Profile

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.