First Trust Advisors LP Increases Stake in MetLife, Inc. $MET

First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 173.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,641,253 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,040,894 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP owned approximately 0.25% of MetLife worth $135,190,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC purchased a new position in MetLife during the third quarter worth about $32,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC boosted its holdings in 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 increased its position in MetLife by 564.1% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 425 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 361 shares during the period. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in MetLife during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, MTM Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of MetLife during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $37,000. 94.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MetLife Stock Performance

MET opened at $71.83 on Monday. MetLife, Inc. has a 1-year low of $65.21 and a 1-year high of $85.00. The stock has a market cap of $46.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.28, a P/E/G ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 0.76. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $77.20 and its 200 day simple moving average is $78.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.20 and a quick ratio of 0.20.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.34 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $52.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.43 billion. MetLife had a return on equity of 21.81% and a net margin of 4.38%.MetLife’s revenue was up 27.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.08 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.5675 per share. This represents a $2.27 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 3rd. MetLife’s payout ratio is 48.30%.

MetLife News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting MetLife this week:

• Positive Sentiment: MetLife confirmed its previously announced Q1 2026 dividend on its Series A floating-rate preferred shares, $0.31501229 per share, signaling consistency in capital returns for preferred holders and helping support yield-sensitive investors. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: MetLife and partner Crow Holdings completed the sale/trade of 210 multifamily units in Tampa — an example of active portfolio management that can free capital or crystallize gains from real-estate holdings. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: MetLife GCC leased ~75,000 sq ft in Noida’s Oxygen Business Park — a regional expansion/lease that speaks to business presence in India but is unlikely to move the stock materially in the near term. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: High-profile events at MetLife Stadium (temporary renaming/World Cup hosting coverage, ticket guides) increase brand visibility and venue revenue potential, but these items are peripheral to core insurance fundamentals. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: A recent piece comparing MetLife’s stock performance to peers provides context for relative valuation and momentum; useful for investors but not a direct catalyst. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley published a pessimistic forecast for MET, which likely contributed to selling pressure and the intraday decline — analyst downgrades/price-target cuts are common drivers of short-term stock weakness. Article Title

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on MET. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on MetLife from $101.00 to $93.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. UBS Group increased their price objective on MetLife from $94.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Barclays set a $90.00 target price on MetLife in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on shares of MetLife from $92.00 to $90.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of MetLife from $97.00 to $93.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, MetLife presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $94.18.

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.