BDF Gestion Decreases Holdings in MetLife, Inc. $MET

BDF Gestion lowered its stake in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 17.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 43,384 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 9,022 shares during the period. BDF Gestion’s holdings in MetLife were worth $3,574,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Quaker Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in MetLife by 198.2% during the 2nd quarter. Quaker Wealth Management LLC now owns 333 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 672 shares in the last quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of MetLife during the second quarter worth $35,000. MTM Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MetLife in the second quarter valued at about $37,000. GFG Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of MetLife in the second quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Abound Wealth Management boosted its position in MetLife by 652.3% during the second quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 489 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 424 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.99% of the company’s stock.

MetLife Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of MET opened at $81.54 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $78.50 and its 200 day moving average price is $78.88. MetLife, Inc. has a 12-month low of $65.21 and a 12-month high of $88.09. The company has a current ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The firm has a market cap of $53.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 0.76.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The financial services provider reported $2.37 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.30 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $12.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.64 billion. MetLife had a net margin of 5.30% and a return on equity of 21.00%. MetLife’s revenue was down 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.95 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.65 earnings per share for the current year.

MetLife Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 4th were paid a dividend of $0.5675 per share. This represents a $2.27 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 4th. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio is 42.75%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MET has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of MetLife in a report on Monday. Barclays raised their target price on MetLife from $93.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of MetLife in a report on Friday, August 22nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on shares of MetLife from $92.00 to $90.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. Finally, Mizuho assumed coverage on shares of MetLife in a research note on Monday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $101.00 target price on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $95.55.

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.