MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) Shares Sold by Ledyard National Bank

Ledyard National Bank trimmed its stake in shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 0.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 80,956 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 358 shares during the period. Ledyard National Bank’s holdings in MetLife were worth $5,354,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in MetLife during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Planned Solutions Inc. purchased a new position in MetLife during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Quintet Private Bank Europe S.A. acquired a new stake in MetLife during the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners purchased a new stake in shares of MetLife in the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in shares of MetLife during the third quarter valued at $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.81% of the company’s stock.

MetLife Stock Performance

MET traded up $1.28 on Monday, hitting $71.70. The company had a trading volume of 3,966,855 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,534,419. MetLife, Inc. has a 1-year low of $48.95 and a 1-year high of $74.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.16 and a quick ratio of 0.16. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $71.50 and its 200 day moving average price is $67.28. The stock has a market cap of $51.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.04.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 31st. The financial services provider reported $1.93 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.95 by ($0.02). MetLife had a return on equity of 19.48% and a net margin of 2.36%. The firm had revenue of $18.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.07 billion. Equities analysts predict that MetLife, Inc. will post 8.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 11th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 7th will be given a $0.545 dividend. This is an increase from MetLife’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. This represents a $2.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.04%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 6th. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 113.66%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on MET. The Goldman Sachs Group raised MetLife from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $70.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Monday, January 8th. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of MetLife from $74.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of MetLife from $87.00 to $82.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of MetLife from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on MetLife from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $79.23.

Insider Transactions at MetLife

In other MetLife news, insider Ramy Tadros sold 4,026 shares of MetLife stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.90, for a total value of $289,469.40. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 146,981 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,567,933.90. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, EVP Bill Pappas sold 27,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.27, for a total transaction of $1,951,290.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 57,768 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,174,893.36. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Ramy Tadros sold 4,026 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.90, for a total transaction of $289,469.40. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 146,981 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,567,933.90. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.32% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.