MetLife (NYSE:MET) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at Mizuho

MetLife (NYSE:MET) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Mizuho to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

MET has been the subject of a number of other reports. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of MetLife from $96.00 to $95.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of MetLife in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. Wolfe Research raised MetLife to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 16th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price on MetLife from $92.00 to $90.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of MetLife in a report on Monday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $95.55.

MetLife Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MET opened at $82.37 on Monday. MetLife has a one year low of $65.21 and a one year high of $88.09. The stock has a market cap of $54.27 billion, a PE ratio of 15.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 0.76. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $78.46 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $78.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.18 and a current ratio of 0.18.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The financial services provider reported $2.37 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.30 by $0.07. MetLife had a return on equity of 21.00% and a net margin of 5.30%.The business had revenue of $12.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.64 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.95 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that MetLife will post 9.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MetLife

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of MET. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of MetLife by 3.6% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,585 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $295,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Trustmark Bank Trust Department raised its stake in shares of MetLife by 4.6% during the 3rd quarter. Trustmark Bank Trust Department now owns 2,870 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $236,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the period. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of MetLife by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,192 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $263,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the period. Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC lifted its holdings in MetLife by 4.9% during the third quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC now owns 2,790 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $230,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in shares of MetLife by 1.9% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 7,040 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $580,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.99% of the company’s stock.

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.