Generali Asset Management SPA SGR Grows Stake in MetLife, Inc. $MET

Generali Asset Management SPA SGR raised its position in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 35.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 28,075 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,272 shares during the period. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR’s holdings in MetLife were worth $2,313,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Quaker Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in MetLife by 198.2% in the second quarter. Quaker Wealth Management LLC now owns 333 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 672 shares during the period. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in MetLife during the 2nd quarter valued at about $35,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC raised its holdings in shares of MetLife by 95.4% in the 3rd quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 422 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 206 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its stake in shares of MetLife by 564.1% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 425 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 361 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MTM Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of MetLife during the second quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.99% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. UBS Group lowered their target price on MetLife from $96.00 to $95.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Morgan Stanley set a $101.00 price target on MetLife and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on MetLife from $92.00 to $94.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 23rd. Mizuho began coverage on shares of MetLife in a report on Monday, December 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $101.00 target price for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of MetLife in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $95.73.

MetLife Trading Up 1.7%

Shares of NYSE:MET opened at $80.31 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $78.66 and its 200 day moving average is $78.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.18 and a quick ratio of 0.18. MetLife, Inc. has a 1 year low of $65.21 and a 1 year high of $88.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.12, a P/E/G ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 0.76.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The financial services provider reported $2.37 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.30 by $0.07. MetLife had a return on equity of 21.00% and a net margin of 5.30%.The business had revenue of $12.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.64 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.95 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 4th were paid a dividend of $0.5675 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 4th. This represents a $2.27 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio is presently 42.75%.

MetLife Profile

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.