MetLife, Inc. $MET Shares Acquired by Caxton Associates LLP

Caxton Associates LLP boosted its stake in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 154.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 24,438 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 14,844 shares during the period. Caxton Associates LLP’s holdings in MetLife were worth $1,728,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MET. Activest Wealth Management lifted its position in MetLife by 205.8% during the 4th quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 315 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 212 shares during the period. Garton & Associates Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of MetLife in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its holdings in shares of MetLife by 58.9% in the fourth quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 383 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the period. Gunpowder Capital Management LLC dba Oliver Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of MetLife during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Prosperity Bancshares Inc acquired a new stake in shares of MetLife during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. 94.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MetLife Price Performance

MetLife stock opened at $94.67 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.91 billion, a PE ratio of 18.35, a P/E/G ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 0.78. MetLife, Inc. has a 52 week low of $67.33 and a 52 week high of $94.86. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $87.27 and its 200 day simple moving average is $79.55. The company has a quick ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 0.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The financial services provider reported $2.42 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.27 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $14.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.49 billion. MetLife had a net margin of 4.66% and a return on equity of 22.60%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.96 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 4th will be given a $0.5925 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 4th. This represents a $2.37 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio is currently 45.93%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of MetLife from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Monday, June 15th. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of MetLife from $87.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of MetLife from $93.00 to $94.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on MetLife from $97.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on MetLife from $96.00 to $106.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, MetLife presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $100.50.

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.