American Century Companies Inc. Sells 17,630 Shares of MetLife, Inc. $MET

American Century Companies Inc. lowered its position in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 1,509,303 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 17,630 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc.’s holdings in MetLife were worth $124,321,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of MetLife during the second quarter valued at about $35,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC raised its position in shares of MetLife by 95.4% during the 3rd quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 422 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 206 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its stake in MetLife by 564.1% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 425 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 361 shares during the last quarter. MTM Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in MetLife in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of MetLife by 413.2% in the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 467 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 376 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.99% of the company’s stock.

MetLife Stock Performance

MetLife stock opened at $71.92 on Monday. MetLife, Inc. has a twelve month low of $65.21 and a twelve month high of $87.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 0.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $78.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $78.91. The company has a market cap of $46.89 billion, a PE ratio of 15.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 0.76.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.49 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.34 by $0.15. MetLife had a net margin of 4.38% and a return on equity of 21.81%. The firm had revenue of $52.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.43 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.08 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 27.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 3rd will be paid a $0.5675 dividend. This represents a $2.27 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 3rd. MetLife’s payout ratio is 48.30%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on MET shares. Mizuho set a $100.00 price target on MetLife in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of MetLife from $94.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Weiss Ratings upgraded MetLife from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of MetLife from $97.00 to $93.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Evercore set a $95.00 price target on shares of MetLife in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, MetLife currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $94.91.

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.