MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) Receives $92.58 Consensus PT from Analysts

Shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eleven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $94.58.

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. TD Cowen lifted their price target on MetLife from $97.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on MetLife from $101.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on MetLife in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $97.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com lowered MetLife from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on MetLife from $86.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MetLife

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Ball & Co Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in MetLife during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in MetLife by 244.4% during the 3rd quarter. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC now owns 310 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares in the last quarter. Transce3nd LLC acquired a new position in MetLife during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. grew its stake in MetLife by 131.9% during the 3rd quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. now owns 327 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in MetLife during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.99% of the company’s stock.

MetLife Stock Up 2.5 %

Shares of MET opened at $86.16 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. MetLife has a 12 month low of $67.30 and a 12 month high of $89.05. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $83.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $81.83. The firm has a market cap of $59.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.43, a PEG ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.07.

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

MetLife Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 4th will be issued a $0.545 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 4th. This represents a $2.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.53%. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.52%.

About MetLife

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.