MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $95.1538.

Several research firms have recently weighed in on MET. Barclays raised their price objective on MetLife from $89.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Wall Street Zen lowered MetLife from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on MetLife from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on MetLife from $103.00 to $99.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, Evercore set a $96.00 price objective on MetLife in a research note on Thursday, April 9th.

MetLife Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MET opened at $83.97 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $75.05 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $76.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a current ratio of 0.20. The firm has a market cap of $54.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.27, a PEG ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 0.78. MetLife has a 1 year low of $67.33 and a 1 year high of $85.29.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The financial services provider reported $2.42 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.27 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $14.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.49 billion. MetLife had a return on equity of 22.60% and a net margin of 4.66%.The company’s revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.96 EPS. Research analysts forecast that MetLife will post 9.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.5925 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 12th. This represents a $2.37 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. This is a boost from MetLife’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio is 45.93%.

Institutional Trading of MetLife

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Activest Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of MetLife by 205.8% in the fourth quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 315 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 212 shares in the last quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of MetLife by 790.0% in the third quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 356 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 316 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its holdings in shares of MetLife by 58.9% in the fourth quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 383 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Garton & Associates Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MetLife in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Gunpowder Capital Management LLC dba Oliver Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of MetLife in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.99% of the company’s stock.

MetLife Company Profile

MetLife, Inc is a global provider of insurance, annuities and employee benefit programs. Headquartered in New York City, the company offers a range of risk protection and retirement solutions to individuals, employers and institutional clients. Its core businesses include life insurance, group benefits, retirement products such as annuities, and supplemental health products including dental and disability coverage.

In addition to traditional life and group insurance, MetLife provides workplace benefits and voluntary products distributed through employer-sponsored programs.