Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund Sells 8,088 Shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund reduced its holdings in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 5.1% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 150,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 8,088 shares during the quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund’s holdings in MetLife were worth $10,528,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. GoalVest Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in MetLife by 73.3% in the first quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 390 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 165 shares during the period. Bank & Trust Co purchased a new stake in MetLife in the 2nd quarter worth $39,000. Rise Advisors LLC boosted its stake in MetLife by 114.7% in the 1st quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 556 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 297 shares during the period. Crewe Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of MetLife by 602.5% during the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 562 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 482 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of MetLife by 72.6% during the second quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 568 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 239 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.81% of the company’s stock.

MetLife Stock Up 3.4 %

Shares of NYSE:MET opened at $84.04 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $59.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a quick ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. MetLife, Inc. has a 52-week low of $57.91 and a 52-week high of $84.26. The business’s 50 day moving average is $75.97 and its 200 day moving average is $73.32.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The financial services provider reported $2.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.13 by $0.15. MetLife had a net margin of 4.23% and a return on equity of 21.41%. The business had revenue of $17.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.57 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.94 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that MetLife, Inc. will post 8.68 EPS for the current year.

MetLife Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 6th were paid a dividend of $0.545 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 6th. This represents a $2.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.59%. MetLife’s payout ratio is presently 74.91%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on MET. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of MetLife from $85.00 to $86.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on MetLife from $86.00 to $85.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 8th. Barclays began coverage on MetLife in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $91.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of MetLife from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of MetLife from $81.00 to $86.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, MetLife currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $87.25.

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.