SWS Partners Cuts Holdings in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

SWS Partners lowered its stake in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 2.1% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 54,209 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,147 shares during the period. MetLife accounts for about 1.1% of SWS Partners’ investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. SWS Partners’ holdings in MetLife were worth $3,808,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of MetLife in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. GoalVest Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in shares of MetLife by 73.3% during the 1st quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 390 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares during the last quarter. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners purchased a new stake in shares of MetLife during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Pineridge Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MetLife in the 4th quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Bank & Trust Co acquired a new position in MetLife during the 2nd quarter valued at about $39,000. Institutional investors own 89.81% of the company’s stock.

MetLife Stock Performance

MET stock traded up $0.55 during trading on Thursday, hitting $71.73. 3,904,113 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,368,134. MetLife, Inc. has a 1 year low of $57.91 and a 1 year high of $79.34. The company has a market cap of $51.01 billion, a PE ratio of 24.65, a P/E/G ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.11. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $71.71 and its 200 day simple moving average is $71.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 0.16 and a quick ratio of 0.16.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The financial services provider reported $2.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.13 by $0.15. MetLife had a net margin of 4.23% and a return on equity of 21.41%. The firm had revenue of $17.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.57 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.94 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that MetLife, Inc. will post 8.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 6th will be given a dividend of $0.545 per share. This represents a $2.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.04%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 6th. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 74.91%.

MetLife declared that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Wednesday, May 1st that authorizes the company to buyback $3.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the financial services provider to purchase up to 6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on MetLife from $86.00 to $85.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of MetLife from $81.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of MetLife from $82.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. StockNews.com raised shares of MetLife from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on MetLife from $85.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, MetLife presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $82.85.

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.