UniSuper Management Pty Ltd Sells 13,583 Shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

UniSuper Management Pty Ltd cut its holdings in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 4.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 264,077 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 13,583 shares during the period. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd’s holdings in MetLife were worth $21,623,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new position in MetLife in the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in MetLife during the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Graney & King LLC purchased a new stake in MetLife in the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Values First Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of MetLife in the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of MetLife during the 4th quarter valued at about $44,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.99% of the company’s stock.

MetLife Stock Performance

NYSE:MET opened at $83.91 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $57.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.05, a PEG ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.04. MetLife, Inc. has a 1 year low of $67.30 and a 1 year high of $89.05. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $83.50 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $82.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.16 and a quick ratio of 0.16.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $2.08 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.13 by ($0.05). MetLife had a return on equity of 20.42% and a net margin of 6.19%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 4th were issued a $0.545 dividend. This represents a $2.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 4th. MetLife’s payout ratio is 36.52%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on MET. Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of MetLife in a research note on Friday, March 7th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of MetLife from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of MetLife in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $97.00 target price for the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on MetLife from $100.00 to $98.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on MetLife from $101.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MetLife currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $94.58.

MetLife Profile

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.