<div id="readability-page-1"><p>Sterling Capital Management LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of  MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET - Free Report) by 28.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor  owned 746,232 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 302,502 shares during the quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC owned 0.11% of MetLife worth $61,102,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.</p><ul><li>2 Insurance Stocks Poised For Major Breakouts</li></ul><p>Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of  MetLife by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 11,931,536 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $973,901,000 after acquiring an additional 158,107 shares in the last quarter.  Norges Bank bought a new position in  MetLife during the 4th quarter worth about $730,716,000.  Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake in shares of  MetLife by 109.2% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 8,826,658 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $722,727,000 after purchasing an additional 4,606,748 shares during the period.  Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of  MetLife by 43.7% in the fourth quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 5,663,177 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $463,701,000 after purchasing an additional 1,723,461 shares in the last quarter.  Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its position in shares of  MetLife by 16.8% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 4,238,087 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $347,735,000 after buying an additional 608,224 shares during the period. 94.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. </p><h2>Wall Street Analyst Weigh In</h2><p>Several equities research analysts have commented on MET shares. Cowen  restated a &#34;buy&#34; rating on shares of MetLife in a research note on Friday, March 7th. JPMorgan Chase &amp; Co. cut their price objective on shares of MetLife from $88.00 to $86.00 and set an &#34;overweight&#34; rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Wells Fargo &amp; Company lowered their price target on shares of MetLife from $97.00 to $91.00 and set an &#34;overweight&#34; rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of MetLife in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. They set a &#34;market perform&#34; rating and a $97.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on MetLife from $96.00 to $95.00 and set an &#34;overweight&#34; rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned  a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock  has an average rating of &#34;Moderate Buy&#34; and a consensus target price of $93.00.</p><ul><li>MarketBeat Week in Review – 8/21 - 8/25</li></ul><p><b>Get Our Latest Stock Report on MET</b></p><h2>MetLife Stock Down 5.8 %</h2><p>MET stock opened at $70.87 on Friday. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $80.59 and its 200 day simple moving average is $82.52. MetLife, Inc. has a 1-year low of $65.21 and a 1-year high of $89.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.28 billion, a PE ratio of 11.87, a PEG ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a current ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. </p><ul><li>This Insurance Giant Looks Ready For A Breakout</li></ul><p>MetLife (NYSE:MET - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $2.08 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.13 by ($0.05). MetLife had a net margin of 6.19% and a return on equity of 20.42%.  As a group, research analysts anticipate that  MetLife, Inc. will post 9.65 EPS for the current year. </p><h2>MetLife Profile</h2> (Free Report)<p>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.</p><h2>Featured Stories</h2><ul><li>Five stocks we like better than MetLife</li><li>How to Find Undervalued Stocks</li><li>3 Energy Stock Winners Even as Oil Prices Plunge</li><li>Best ESG Stocks: 11 Best Stocks for ESG Investing</li><li>Micron Tumbles on Tariff Threat: Risk/Reward Outlook Improves</li><li>What is the Euro STOXX 50 Index?</li><li>Apple: Losing Its Darling Status or a Dip Buying Opportunity?</li></ul><p><img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/SECFilingChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5ZU0UmU3ltYm9sPU1FVA?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="650" height="350" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/SECFilingChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5ZU0UmU3ltYm9sPU1FVA"/></p><p><em>This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.</em></p><h2>Should You Invest $1,000 in MetLife Right Now?</h2><p>Before you consider MetLife, you'll want to hear this.</p><p>MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and MetLife wasn't on the list.</p><p>While MetLife currently has a Moderate Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.</p><p>View The Five Stocks Here</p>                  </div>

<p>Sterling Capital Management LLC reduced its stake in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) by 28.8% in Q4, selling 302,502 shares, leaving it with 746,232 shares valued at $61.1 million. Other institutional investors also adjusted their holdings, with Geode Capital increasing its position by 1.3%. Analysts have mixed ratings on MetLife, with a consensus target price of $93.00. The stock is currently down 5.8%, trading at $70.87, with a market cap of $48.28 billion. MetLife reported Q4 earnings of $2.08 per share, missing estimates by $0.05.</p>

Sterling Capital Management LLC Sells 302,502 Shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET)