CGN Advisors LLC Makes New Investment in MetLife, Inc. $MET

CGN Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 17,409 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,374,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MET. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC increased its position in MetLife by 790.0% during the third quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 356 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 316 shares during the period. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MetLife in the third quarter valued at about $32,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MetLife during the third quarter worth about $33,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of MetLife during the second quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC grew its holdings in shares of MetLife by 95.4% during the third quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 422 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 206 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.99% of the company’s stock.

MetLife Trading Down 0.1%

NYSE:MET opened at $68.52 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $75.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $77.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.68 billion, a PE ratio of 14.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.62 and a beta of 0.76. MetLife, Inc. has a 12 month low of $65.21 and a 12 month high of $85.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.20 and a quick ratio of 0.20.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.49 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.34 by $0.15. MetLife had a return on equity of 21.81% and a net margin of 4.38%.The company had revenue of $52.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.43 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.08 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 27.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.5675 per share. This represents a $2.27 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 3rd. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on MET shares. Weiss Ratings cut shares of MetLife from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of MetLife from $101.00 to $93.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. UBS Group increased their price objective on MetLife from $94.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Mizuho set a $100.00 target price on shares of MetLife in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Barclays set a $90.00 price target on MetLife in a report on Thursday, January 8th. 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $93.67.

MetLife 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.