Head to Head Contrast: MetLife (MET) and Its Rivals

MetLife (NYSE:MET) is one of 311 publicly-traded companies in the “Insurance” industry, but how does it compare to its peers? We will compare MetLife to similar companies based on the strength of its valuation, profitability, risk, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, earnings and dividends.

Profitability

This table compares MetLife and its peers’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
MetLife	6.21%	25.71%	0.92%
MetLife Competitors	9.45%	-10.05%	4.09%

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings and target prices for MetLife and its peers, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
MetLife	0	1	14	0	2.93
MetLife Competitors	3349	15720	16568	747	2.40

MetLife presently has a consensus price target of $107.12, suggesting a potential upside of 4.34%. As a group, “Insurance” companies have a potential upside of 4.28%. Given MetLife’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe MetLife is more favorable than its peers.

Dividends

MetLife pays an annual dividend of $2.37 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.3%. MetLife pays out 30.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. As a group, “Insurance” companies pay a dividend yield of 2.9% and pay out 31.1% of their earnings in the form of a dividend. MetLife has increased its dividend for 12 consecutive years.

Risk and Volatility

MetLife has a beta of 0.79, suggesting that its stock price is 21% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, MetLife’s peers have a beta of -1.55, suggesting that their average stock price is 255% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares MetLife and its peers top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Net Income	Price/Earnings Ratio
MetLife	$77.08 billion	$3.38 billion	13.39
MetLife Competitors	$15.33 billion	$1.70 billion	33.69

MetLife has higher revenue and earnings than its peers. MetLife is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than its peers, indicating that it is currently more affordable than other companies in its industry.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

95.0% of MetLife shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 55.9% of shares of all “Insurance” companies are held by institutional investors. 0.4% of MetLife shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 13.4% of shares of all “Insurance” companies are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

MetLife beats its peers on 9 of the 15 factors compared.

MetLife Company Profile

MetLife, Inc. is a global financial services company best known for providing insurance, employee benefits and retirement-related products. Its offerings include life, dental and disability insurance, annuities, and products and services designed to help individuals and employers plan for financial protection and retirement. The company serves individuals, businesses and institutions in the United States and international markets, including countries in Latin America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.