MetLife, Inc. (NYSE: MET) is one of the world’s largest insurance and financial services companies, providing life insurance, retirement solutions, and asset management products across global markets. Shares recently traded around $80 per share, giving MetLife a market value of roughly $52.7 billion.
Looking at who owns MetLife and how institutional investors and insiders have been positioning can help provide context on how the stock is being viewed from a long-term risk and return perspective.
Who Are MetLife’s Top Shareholders?
MetLife’s shareholder base is led by large institutions and affiliated policyholder structures. These investors tend to hold through market cycles, which can help keep long-term ownership relatively stable even as individual managers make incremental changes.
- MetLife Policyholder Trust: 106,549,803 shares (16.17%), $8.52B value. Cut 1,693,018 shares (1.56%).
- The Vanguard Group: 64,463,846 shares (9.78%), $5.16B value. Added 7,576,453 shares (13.32%).
- Dodge & Cox: 53,659,664 shares (8.14%), $4.29B value. Added 477,783 shares (0.90%).
- BlackRock Institutional Trust Company: 30,065,563 shares (4.56%), $2.40B value. Added 636,758 shares (2.16%).
- State Street Investment Management (US): 25,687,304 shares (3.90%), $2.05B value. Cut 342,761 shares (1.32%).
- T. Rowe Price Associates: 19,735,163 shares (3.00%), $1.58B value. Added 356,769 shares (1.84%).
- Geode Capital Management: 12,871,839 shares (1.95%), $1.03B value. Added 38,945 shares (0.30%).
- Wellington Management Company: 12,572,807 shares (1.91%), $1.01B value. Added 180,683 shares (1.46%).
- Pzena Investment Management: 9,672,023 shares (1.47%), $774M value. Added 527,388 shares (5.77%).
- Norges Bank Investment Management: 9,401,946 shares (1.43%), $752M value. Added 477,712 shares (5.35%).
For investors, this ownership mix suggests MetLife remains supported by long-term institutional capital, with several managers increasing exposure while others make modest trims rather than exiting positions outright.
Hedge Fund Highlights
Millennium Management, founded by Israel Englander, significantly increased its MetLife position last quarter. The firm now holds roughly $106M value in MET, which may suggest it sees a more favorable risk-reward balance at recent price levels.
AQR Capital Management, led by Cliff Asness, more than doubled its stake to approximately $272M value. This move appears consistent with AQR’s valuation-driven strategy and may reflect confidence in MetLife’s earnings stability.
Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo (GMO), co-founded by Jeremy Grantham, raised its holdings sharply, though the position remains relatively small at around $6M value, pointing to a selective allocation rather than a high-conviction bet.
O’Shaughnessy Asset Management, founded by James O’Shaughnessy, increased its position to roughly $97M value, continuing a pattern of gradual accumulation rather than aggressive scaling.
For investors, hedge fund activity looks mixed but constructive, with several firms adding exposure while keeping position sizes measured.
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MetLife’s Recent Insider Trades
Insider filings over recent months show limited activity, with mostly small director purchases and modest officer transactions that do not materially change insider ownership levels.
- Monica M. Curtis (Officer): Sold ~$353K value (4,420 shares at ~$79.82).
- Adrienne Karen O’Neill (Officer): Bought ~$950K value (11,902 shares).
- Robert Glenn Hubbard (Director): Bought ~$53K value (687 shares at ~$77.82).
- William E. Kennard (Director): Bought ~$25K value (324 shares).
- Diana L. McKenzie (Director): Bought ~$13K value (166 shares).
- Jeh Charles Johnson (Director): Bought ~$4K value (54 shares).
- Carla A. Harris (Director): Bought ~$3K value (34 shares).
- Laura J. Hay (Director): Bought ~$2K value (31 shares).
- Christian Stephane Mumenthaler (Director): Bought <$1K value (11 shares).
Several Form 144 filings from affiliated MetLife accounts reported zero shares traded, which appear administrative rather than transactional. For investors, insider activity appears cautious and limited, suggesting management is neither signaling strong optimism nor concern at current levels.
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What the Ownership & Insider Trade Data Tell Us
MetLife’s shareholder base remains anchored by large, long-term institutions, providing stability but limiting dramatic shifts in sentiment. Hedge fund positioning shows selective interest, while insider activity remains modest and measured.
For investors, the overall picture suggests MetLife continues to be treated as a steady, income-oriented financial company, with institutions holding firm and insiders managing exposure conservatively rather than making directional statements.
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