MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $98.2308.

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on MET shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on MetLife from $95.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. UBS Group boosted their target price on MetLife from $102.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on MetLife from $98.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday. Weiss Ratings upgraded MetLife from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Monday, June 15th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price target on MetLife from $103.00 to $99.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th.

MetLife Stock Up 1.5%

Shares of MetLife stock opened at $93.04 on Tuesday. MetLife has a 1 year low of $67.33 and a 1 year high of $93.16. The firm has a market cap of $59.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.03, a PEG ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a 50-day moving average of $84.69 and a 200 day moving average of $78.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.20 and a quick ratio of 0.20.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The financial services provider reported $2.42 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.27 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $14.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.49 billion. MetLife had a net margin of 4.66% and a return on equity of 22.60%. MetLife’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.96 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that MetLife will post 9.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 4th will be issued a $0.5925 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 4th. This represents a $2.37 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. MetLife’s payout ratio is 45.93%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MetLife

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in MET. Activest Wealth Management raised its stake 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 worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 212 shares during the last quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC lifted its stake in MetLife by 790.0% during the 3rd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 356 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 316 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its stake 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 worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the period. Garton & Associates Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of MetLife during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Gunpowder Capital Management LLC dba Oliver Wealth Management purchased a new stake in MetLife in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. 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.