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

MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen analysts that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eight have assigned a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $93.4167.

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on MET shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a “moderate buy” rating and set a $87.00 target price on shares of MetLife in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of MetLife from $91.00 to $88.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Barclays set a $90.00 price objective on shares of MetLife in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Evercore set a $95.00 target price on MetLife in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded MetLife from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th.

MetLife Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of NYSE:MET opened at $70.74 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $46.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.05, a P/E/G ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 0.74. The business’s 50-day moving average is $73.73 and its 200-day moving average is $77.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.20 and a quick ratio of 0.20. MetLife has a 1 year low of $65.21 and a 1 year high of $83.85.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.34 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $52.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.43 billion. MetLife had a return on equity of 21.81% and a net margin of 4.38%.The company’s revenue was up 27.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.08 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that MetLife will post 9.65 earnings per share for the current year.

MetLife Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 3rd were given a dividend of $0.5675 per share. This represents a $2.27 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 3rd. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio is presently 48.30%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Activest Wealth Management grew its holdings in shares of MetLife by 205.8% during the fourth quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 315 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 212 shares during the last quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC lifted its position in MetLife by 790.0% in 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 in the last quarter. Garton & Associates Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in MetLife during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its holdings in MetLife by 58.9% during the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 383 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gunpowder Capital Management LLC dba Oliver Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of MetLife in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.99% of the company’s stock.

About MetLife

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.