Thrivent Financial for Lutherans expanded its stake in MetLife by acquiring 96,523 additional shares during the third quarter, raising its total holding to 1,176,469 shares. This transaction represents an 8.9% increase in the firm’s position, elevating its ownership to approximately 0.18% of MetLife’s outstanding stock. Based on the latest SEC filing, Thrivent’s MetLife stake is valued at roughly $96.9 million, underscoring continued confidence from a major institutional investor in the life insurance and employee benefits provider’s long-term prospects.

Several other prominent asset managers have also adjusted their MetLife holdings in recent quarters. Norges Bank initiated a new position valued at about $756.1 million in the second quarter. Pzena Investment Management boosted its stake by 6.8%, adding 585,671 shares to reach 9.14 million shares. Invesco lifted its MetLife position by 2.5%, acquiring 162,041 shares for a total 6.62 million shares. Nordea Investment Management grew its holding by 2.0% in the third quarter, adding 86,519 shares to 4.51 million shares. Meanwhile, Amundi increased its position by 40.2% in the second quarter, purchasing 1.29 million shares and bringing its total to 4.51 million shares. Collectively, hedge funds and institutional investors now control 94.99% of the company’s shares, reflecting broad market endorsement.

In its latest quarterly results, MetLife reported adjusted earnings per share of $2.37, surpassing analyst expectations by $0.07, while net margin stood at 5.3% and return on equity was 21%. Quarterly revenues of $12.46 billion trailed the prior-year period by 5.9% but aligned with management’s strategic focus on higher-margin international operations. The board approved a quarterly dividend of $0.5675 per share, translating to a $2.27 annualized payout and a 42.8% payout ratio, with the record date set for February 3 and payment on March 10. These actions reinforce MetLife’s commitment to returning capital to shareholders while maintaining disciplined underwriting.

Wall Street research houses maintain a generally favorable outlook on MetLife shares. Among recent updates, Morgan Stanley reiterated an overweight recommendation with a $101 price target, UBS reaffirmed a buy rating after a modest objective reduction, and Evercore ISI assigned an in-line rating. Of the fourteen analysts covering the company, eleven recommend buy or stronger, yielding a consensus rating of Buy. Analysts forecast full-year earnings of approximately $9.65 per share, underpinned by anticipated premium growth in core life and group benefits segments and improved investment returns in the company’s general account portfolio.