MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) Shares Acquired by IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd

IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd increased its stake in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 151,161 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 4,387 shares during the period. MetLife accounts for approximately 1.3% of IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest position. IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd’s holdings in MetLife were worth $12,468,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. GoalVest Advisory LLC boosted its position in shares of MetLife by 73.3% in the first quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 390 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 165 shares during the last quarter. Bank & Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of MetLife in the second quarter worth approximately $39,000. Crewe Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of MetLife by 602.5% in the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 562 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 482 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of MetLife by 72.6% in the second quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 568 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 239 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rise Advisors LLC lifted its position in MetLife by 114.7% during the first quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 556 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 297 shares in the last quarter. 89.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MetLife Trading Down 0.6 %

MET opened at $85.18 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $77.90 and its 200-day moving average is $73.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.27, a P/E/G ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 1.04. MetLife, Inc. has a 52-week low of $57.91 and a 52-week high of $86.94.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The financial services provider reported $2.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.13 by $0.15. The business 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%. The business’s revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.94 earnings per share. Analysts expect that MetLife, Inc. will post 8.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 5th will be paid a $0.545 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 5th. This represents a $2.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.56%. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 74.91%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MET has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of MetLife in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $91.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley reduced 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. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of MetLife from $89.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of MetLife from $81.00 to $86.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of MetLife from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $88.46.

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.