MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) Shares Acquired by Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt

Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt boosted its position in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 41.6% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 2,051 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 603 shares during the quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt’s holdings in MetLife were worth $136,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of MetLife by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 83,280 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,507,000 after purchasing an additional 2,844 shares in the last quarter. Scissortail Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in MetLife during the 4th quarter worth about $303,000. Tyche Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of MetLife during the 4th quarter worth about $256,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its position in shares of MetLife by 15.7% during the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 272,742 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $18,036,000 after acquiring an additional 37,065 shares in the last quarter. Finally, United Asset Strategies Inc. lifted its position in shares of MetLife by 10.3% during the 4th quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc. now owns 12,266 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $811,000 after buying an additional 1,142 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.81% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at MetLife

In related news, insider Ramy Tadros sold 4,026 shares of MetLife stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.90, for a total transaction of $289,469.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 146,981 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,567,933.90. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Bill Pappas sold 27,000 shares of MetLife stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.27, for a total transaction of $1,951,290.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 57,768 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,174,893.36. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Ramy Tadros sold 4,026 shares of MetLife stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.90, for a total transaction of $289,469.40. Following the sale, the insider now owns 146,981 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,567,933.90. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.32% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on MET shares. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded MetLife from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $70.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Monday, January 8th. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of MetLife from $87.00 to $82.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of MetLife from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of MetLife from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on MetLife from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, MetLife presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $79.23.

MetLife Stock Performance

Shares of MET stock opened at $69.95 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $71.05 and a 200-day simple moving average of $66.70. The company has a market cap of $50.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 1.04. MetLife, Inc. has a 12-month low of $48.95 and a 12-month high of $74.68.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 31st. The financial services provider reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.95 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $18.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.07 billion. MetLife had a return on equity of 19.48% and a net margin of 2.36%. On average, equities analysts forecast that MetLife, Inc. will post 8.71 EPS for the current year.

MetLife Company 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.