MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) Shares Sold by KBC Group NV

KBC Group NV trimmed its holdings in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET - Free Report) by 44.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,658,765 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 1,306,102 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV owned 0.24% of MetLife worth $136,815,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MET. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of MetLife by 3.4% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 59,622,348 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $4,418,612,000 after purchasing an additional 1,974,268 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of MetLife by 22.4% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,396,274 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $378,799,000 after buying an additional 988,666 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc grew its holdings in shares of MetLife by 5.4% during the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 5,299,800 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $371,993,000 after buying an additional 269,246 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of MetLife by 3.2% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,224,930 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $226,358,000 after acquiring an additional 100,782 shares during the period. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its position in MetLife by 29.7% during the 1st 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 period. 89.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on MET shares. StockNews.com raised MetLife from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of MetLife from $89.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of MetLife from $99.00 to $96.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of MetLife from $83.00 to $89.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their target price on MetLife from $85.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $88.46.

MetLife Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MET traded up $0.87 during trading on Thursday, reaching $82.89. The stock had a trading volume of 1,551,575 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,320,066. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $81.30 and a 200-day moving average price of $75.43. MetLife, Inc. has a 1-year low of $61.61 and a 1-year high of $86.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a current ratio of 0.16. The stock has a market cap of $57.39 billion, a PE ratio of 16.54, a PEG ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 1.05.

MetLife Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders 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 2.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 5th. MetLife's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 43.95%.

About MetLife

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.