Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse Sells Off Shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-Rhode Island) recently sold shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET). In a filing disclosed on December 05th, the Senator disclosed that they had sold between $1,001 and $15,000 in MetLife stock on November 19th.

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse also recently made the following trade(s):

• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Kenvue (NYSE:KVUE) on 11/18/2024.
• Purchased $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) on 10/30/2024.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) on 10/29/2024.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) on 10/29/2024.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Honeywell International (NASDAQ:HON) on 10/29/2024.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Mastercard (NYSE:MA) on 10/29/2024.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) on 10/29/2024.
• Sold $100,001 – $250,000 in shares of Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) on 10/28/2024.
• Sold $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) on 10/28/2024.
• Sold $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) on 10/11/2024.

MetLife Stock Performance

Shares of MET opened at $85.22 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The firm has a market cap of $59.01 billion, a PE ratio of 17.18, a P/E/G ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 1.06. MetLife, Inc. has a 12 month low of $63.19 and a 12 month high of $89.05. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $83.79 and a 200-day moving average price of $77.03.

MetLife Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 5th will be issued a $0.545 dividend. This represents a $2.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 5th. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio is currently 43.95%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. StockNews.com raised MetLife from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 25th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of MetLife from $89.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of MetLife from $97.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Piper Sandler upped their target price on MetLife from $85.00 to $92.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on MetLife from $86.00 to $85.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 19th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, MetLife currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $88.62.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. CWM LLC increased its holdings in shares of MetLife by 18.2% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 15,873 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,114,000 after purchasing an additional 2,440 shares in the last quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of MetLife by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC now owns 30,090 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,112,000 after acquiring an additional 487 shares during the period. CX Institutional increased its stake in shares of MetLife by 29.7% in the 2nd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 7,298 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $512,000 after purchasing an additional 1,673 shares in the last quarter. Symmetry Partners LLC raised its holdings in MetLife by 39.0% in the 2nd quarter. Symmetry Partners LLC now owns 8,325 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $584,000 after purchasing an additional 2,335 shares during the period. Finally, BDF Gestion purchased a new position in MetLife during the second quarter worth approximately $4,609,000. 89.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Senator Whitehouse

Sheldon Whitehouse (Democratic Party) is a member of the U.S. Senate from Rhode Island. He assumed office on January 3, 2007. His current term ends on January 3, 2025. Whitehouse (Democratic Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. Senate to represent Rhode Island. He declared candidacy for the 2024 election. Whitehouse previously served as the Rhode Island attorney general from 1999 to 2003. Before that, he was a United States attorney from 1994 to 1998. He was nominated to the position by President Bill Clinton (D). Whitehouse was a superdelegate to the 2016 Democratic National Convention from Rhode Island. He cast his vote for Hillary Clinton. As of a 2014 analysis of multiple outside rankings, Whitehouse is an average Democratic member of Congress, meaning he will vote with the Democratic Party on the majority of bills.

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.