Brokerages Set MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) Price Target at $95.64

Shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) have earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $95.6364.

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on MET. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of MetLife from $94.00 to $97.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on MetLife from $92.00 to $90.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. Evercore set a $97.00 target price on shares of MetLife and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Mizuho set a $102.00 price objective on MetLife in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of MetLife from $94.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday.

MetLife Stock Down 0.1%

MET stock opened at $76.29 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $50.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.23, a P/E/G ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 0.77. MetLife has a twelve month low of $65.21 and a twelve month high of $87.39. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $78.90 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $78.81. The company has a quick ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 0.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.34 by $0.24. MetLife had a net margin of 4.38% and a return on equity of 21.81%. The business had revenue of $18.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.43 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.08 EPS. MetLife’s revenue was up 27.6% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that MetLife will post 9.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 3rd will be paid a $0.5675 dividend. This represents a $2.27 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 3rd. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.30%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in MetLife by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,585 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $295,000 after buying an additional 125 shares during the period. Trustmark Bank Trust Department lifted its position in shares of MetLife by 4.6% in 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 boosted its stake 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 valued at $263,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC grew its holdings in MetLife by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC now owns 2,790 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $230,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the period. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in shares of MetLife by 1.9% in the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. 94.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.