MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) Holdings Cut by Commerce Bank

Commerce Bank reduced its stake in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET - Free Report) by 7.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 115,798 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 9,146 shares during the quarter. Commerce Bank's holdings in MetLife were worth $9,482,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MET. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MetLife in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new position in MetLife in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Graney & King LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MetLife in the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. Values First Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in MetLife during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich purchased a new position in shares of MetLife in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $48,000. 94.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MetLife Stock Up 1.6 %

NYSE:MET traded up $1.17 on Wednesday, reaching $74.26. The stock had a trading volume of 3,673,883 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,412,369. The company has a 50-day moving average of $78.76 and a 200 day moving average of $81.97. The company has a current ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The stock has a market cap of $50.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 0.89. MetLife, Inc. has a 12-month low of $65.21 and a 12-month high of $89.05.

MetLife (NYSE:MET - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $2.08 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.13 by ($0.05). MetLife had a return on equity of 20.42% and a net margin of 6.19%. On average, research analysts predict that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.65 earnings per share for the current year.

MetLife Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 6th will be paid a $0.5675 dividend. This represents a $2.27 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.06%. This is an increase from MetLife's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 6th. MetLife's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.52%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on MET shares. Piper Sandler increased their price target on MetLife from $92.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on MetLife in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. They set a "market perform" rating and a $97.00 target price on the stock. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of MetLife from $95.00 to $88.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of MetLife from $88.00 to $86.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price on shares of MetLife from $98.00 to $95.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $92.46.

MetLife Profile

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.