MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) Receives $94.58 Consensus PT from Analysts

MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the thirteen analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and twelve have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $94.58.

Several research firms have recently weighed in on MET. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of MetLife in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $97.00 price target on the stock. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of MetLife from $96.00 to $95.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of MetLife from $101.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of MetLife from $92.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of MetLife in a research note on Friday, March 7th.

MetLife Stock Performance

MET opened at $82.33 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The company has a market cap of $56.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.79, a PEG ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.04. MetLife has a 52-week low of $67.30 and a 52-week high of $89.05. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $83.48 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $82.60.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $2.08 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. Equities analysts anticipate that MetLife will post 9.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 4th were given a dividend of $0.545 per share. This represents a $2.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.65%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 4th. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.52%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MetLife

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MET. Swedbank AB increased its position in shares of MetLife by 5.3% during the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 1,970,163 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $162,499,000 after acquiring an additional 99,328 shares during the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of MetLife by 1.7% during the third quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 9,023 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $744,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in shares of MetLife by 8.2% during the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 10,408 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $858,000 after acquiring an additional 788 shares during the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of MetLife by 5.2% during the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 266,316 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $21,966,000 after acquiring an additional 13,150 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TrinityPoint Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MetLife during the third quarter valued at about $237,000. 94.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MetLife Company Profile

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.