Cibc World Market Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in MetLife, Inc. $MET

Cibc World Market Inc. lifted its position in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 35.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 45,148 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,860 shares during the period. Cibc World Market Inc.’s holdings in MetLife were worth $3,719,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quaker Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of MetLife by 198.2% in the 2nd quarter. Quaker Wealth Management LLC now owns 333 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 672 shares during the last quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of MetLife during the second quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC lifted its holdings in MetLife by 95.4% during the third quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 422 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 206 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its position in MetLife by 564.1% in the third 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 last quarter. Finally, MTM Investment Management LLC bought a new position in MetLife in the 2nd quarter valued at $37,000. 94.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

MetLife Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:MET opened at $77.26 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $50.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.44, a PEG ratio of 0.70 and a beta of 0.77. MetLife, Inc. has a one year low of $65.21 and a one year high of $87.39. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $78.92 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $78.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.20 and a quick ratio of 0.18.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.34 by $0.24. The company had revenue of $18.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.43 billion. MetLife had a return on equity of 21.81% and a net margin of 4.38%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 27.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.08 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 3rd will be given a $0.5675 dividend. This represents a $2.27 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 3rd. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio is 48.30%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on MET. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on shares of MetLife from $92.00 to $90.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. Evercore set a $97.00 target price on shares of MetLife and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of MetLife from $94.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Evercore ISI set a $95.00 target price on MetLife in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Mizuho set a $100.00 target price on MetLife in a research note on Thursday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, MetLife presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $95.42.

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.