MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) Stock Position Lessened by Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc.

Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 3.0% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 105,514 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 3,220 shares during the period. MetLife accounts for approximately 1.4% of Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 6th biggest position. Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings in MetLife were worth $7,406,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in MetLife during the fourth quarter valued at $558,460,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of MetLife by 3.4% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 59,622,348 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,418,612,000 after purchasing an additional 1,974,268 shares during the last quarter. Swedbank AB bought a new position in shares of MetLife in the 1st quarter worth approximately $131,456,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of MetLife by 7,837.0% in the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,129,353 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $79,250,000 after buying an additional 1,115,124 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in MetLife by 20.9% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,053,851 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $268,090,000 after buying an additional 700,788 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 89.81% of the company’s stock.

MetLife Price Performance

MET stock traded down $2.50 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $74.08. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 4,991,179 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,346,042. 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 12 month low of $57.91 and a 12 month high of $79.34. The company has a 50 day moving average of $73.32 and a two-hundred day moving average of $72.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.62 and a beta of 1.04.

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

MetLife Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 6th will be given a dividend of $0.545 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 6th. This represents a $2.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.94%. MetLife’s payout ratio is 74.91%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MET has been the topic of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of MetLife from $86.00 to $85.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 19th. StockNews.com raised MetLife from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on MetLife from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Citigroup raised their price objective on MetLife from $83.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. Finally, Bank of America cut their price objective on MetLife from $99.00 to $96.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MetLife has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $84.54.

MetLife Company 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.