Generali Increases MetLife Stake by 35% to 28,075 Shares, Diversified Trust Cuts 73.7%
Generali Asset Management increased its MetLife stake 35.0% to 28,075 shares, worth $2.31 million, in Q3, purchasing 7,272 additional shares. Conversely, Diversified Trust Co trimmed its position by 73.7% to 8,301 shares valued at $684,000 during the same period.
1. Generali Asset Management Strengthens Position in MetLife
In its latest SEC filing, Generali Asset Management SPA SGR increased its holding in MetLife by 35.0% during the third quarter, purchasing an additional 7,272 shares to reach a total of 28,075 shares. As of the filing date, that stake carried a reported value of $2.313 million. This move underscores the firm’s confidence in MetLife’s outlook and marks one of the largest single-quarter purchases among institutional shareholders in the period.
2. Other Institutional Investors Adjust Stakes
Several smaller asset managers also altered their MetLife positions in recent quarters. Quaker Wealth Management LLC expanded its stake by 198.2%, adding 672 shares to hold 333 shares valued at $27,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. entered with a new position worth $35,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC upped its stake by 95.4% to 422 shares ($35,000), while True Wealth Design LLC surged its holding by 564.1% to 425 shares ($35,000). MTM Investment Management LLC added its first MetLife shares in the second quarter, investing approximately $37,000. Institutional and hedge fund ownership now accounts for 94.99% of MetLife’s outstanding stock.
3. Analyst Ratings and Financial Performance
Wall Street sentiment remains broadly positive. UBS Group maintained a Buy rating while trimming its target from 96.00 to 95.00. Morgan Stanley and Mizuho each set targets at 101.00 with overweight and outperform recommendations, respectively. Wells Fargo raised its objective from 92.00 to 94.00 with an overweight stance, and Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a Buy (B-) rating. Of 13 analysts covering the company, two assign Strong Buy, nine rate it Buy and two Hold, yielding a consensus target of 95.73. In its third‐quarter report, MetLife delivered $2.37 in earnings per share, beating estimates by $0.07, with return on equity at 21.0% and a net margin of 5.3%. Revenue for the period came in at $12.46 billion, down 5.9% year‐over‐year, and full‐year EPS is forecast at 9.65.
4. Dividend Policy and Balance Sheet Highlights
MetLife declared a quarterly dividend of $0.5675 per share, paid on December 9 to shareholders of record as of November 4, representing an annualized payout of $2.27 and a yield of approximately 2.8%. The payout ratio stands at 42.75%. On the balance sheet, the company reports a debt‐to‐equity ratio of 0.54, with both current and quick ratios at 0.18, reflecting its liquidity position relative to short‐term obligations.