MetLife, Inc. $MET Shares Sold by Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. cut its stake in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 50.4% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 44,541 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 45,235 shares during the quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.’s holdings in MetLife were worth $3,669,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in MetLife by 9.0% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 4,240 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $347,000 after buying an additional 351 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC boosted its holdings in shares of MetLife by 7.6% in the first quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 9,170 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $736,000 after acquiring an additional 651 shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new position in shares of MetLife during the first quarter worth about $300,000. Caxton Associates LLP purchased a new position in MetLife during the first quarter worth about $307,000. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in MetLife by 187.6% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 33,378 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,680,000 after purchasing an additional 21,771 shares during the period. 94.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MetLife Stock Down 0.5%

MetLife stock opened at $79.37 on Friday. MetLife, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $65.21 and a fifty-two week high of $88.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 0.76. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $78.77 and its two-hundred day moving average is $79.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.18 and a current ratio of 0.18.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The financial services provider reported $2.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.30 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $12.46 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.64 billion. MetLife had a return on equity of 21.00% and a net margin of 5.30%.The business’s revenue was down 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.95 EPS. Analysts predict that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 3rd will be given a $0.5675 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 3rd. This represents a $2.27 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio is currently 42.75%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MET has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wolfe Research raised MetLife to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 16th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on MetLife from $92.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 23rd. Mizuho started coverage on MetLife in a report on Monday, December 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $101.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of MetLife in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on shares of MetLife from $92.00 to $90.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $95.08.

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.