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

MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $94.58.

A number of brokerages have issued reports on MET. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of MetLife in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $97.00 price target on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on MetLife from $100.00 to $98.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on MetLife from $101.00 to $109.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on MetLife from $97.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Finally, Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of MetLife in a research report on Friday, March 7th.

MetLife Stock Performance

Shares of MET opened at $83.70 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The firm has a market cap of $57.02 billion, a PE ratio of 14.02, a P/E/G ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.04. MetLife has a 12 month low of $67.30 and a 12 month high of $89.05. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $83.52 and a 200-day moving average price of $82.79.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $2.08 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.13 by ($0.05). MetLife had a return on equity of 20.42% and a net margin of 6.19%. Equities research analysts predict that MetLife will post 9.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 4th were given a $0.545 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 4th. This represents a $2.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.60%. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.52%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MetLife

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in MetLife by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 270,719 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $22,166,000 after purchasing an additional 15,479 shares in the last quarter. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ acquired a new position in shares of MetLife during the 4th quarter worth approximately $16,359,000. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH lifted its position in shares of MetLife by 15.2% during the 4th quarter. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH now owns 29,466 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,413,000 after buying an additional 3,895 shares in the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new stake in MetLife in the 4th quarter worth $62,265,000. Finally, Brooklyn FI LLC acquired a new position in MetLife during the fourth quarter worth $738,000. 94.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.