MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) Receives $93.38 Average Price Target from Brokerages

Shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) have earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, ten have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $93.3846.

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on MET shares. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of MetLife from $100.00 to $93.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 13th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a “moderate buy” rating and set a $87.00 target price on shares of MetLife in a report on Thursday, March 26th. Evercore set a $96.00 target price on shares of MetLife in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of MetLife from $93.00 to $90.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, TD Cowen reduced their target price on shares of MetLife from $91.00 to $88.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 11th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MetLife

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Providence Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MetLife in the 3rd quarter worth about $6,649,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its position in shares of MetLife by 8.9% in the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 1,176,469 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $96,905,000 after purchasing an additional 96,523 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its position in shares of MetLife by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 4,630,165 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $366,524,000 after purchasing an additional 117,545 shares during the period. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co lifted its position in shares of MetLife by 21.9% in the 3rd quarter. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 137,956 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $11,363,000 after purchasing an additional 24,800 shares during the period. Finally, Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of MetLife by 256.8% in the 3rd quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 62,662 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,161,000 after purchasing an additional 45,100 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.99% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting MetLife

Here are the key news stories impacting MetLife this week:

• Positive Sentiment: MetLife raised its quarterly common dividend to $0.5925 (4.4% increase), implying a ~3.0% yield and signaling confidence in capital generation and payout sustainability. This directly supports investor income expectations and helps justify the stock’s gain. MetLife Increases Common Stock Dividend by 4.4%
• Positive Sentiment: A MetLife poll shows a majority of employers back embedding guaranteed lifetime income options into workplace retirement plans — a potential tailwind for MetLife’s annuity/retirement products and future fee/contract revenue. Majority of Employers Support Embedding Guaranteed Lifetime Income Options into Workplace Retirement Plans, MetLife Poll Finds
• Positive Sentiment: MetLife is committing ~$170M to redevelop Chicago’s Water Tower Place, a strategic real-estate bet that could boost long-term earnings from property holdings and signal active portfolio management. Investors may view this as a growth/asset optimization move. MetLife bets $170 million on Water Tower Place transformation
• Neutral Sentiment: MetLife research cited in several outlets warns that major dental bills can quickly deplete savings — this raises awareness of consumer exposure and could modestly boost demand for MetLife’s dental/ancillary insurance products, but it’s more PR than immediate earnings news. MetLife warns major dental bills can drain savings fast
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple reports (NYT, local outlets) about World Cup crowds and travel warnings around MetLife Stadium generate publicity and short-term operational focus for the stadium/venue, but these logistical stories are unlikely to move core insurance results. New Yorkers to World Cup Fans: Please Don’t Walk to MetLife

MetLife Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MET opened at $78.92 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $73.10 and its 200-day moving average price is $76.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $51.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.79, a PEG ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 0.74. MetLife has a one year low of $67.33 and a one year high of $83.85. 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 (NYSE:MET) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.49 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 net margin of 4.38% and a return on equity of 21.81%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 27.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.08 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that MetLife will post 9.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 12th will be given a dividend of $0.5925 per share. This represents a $2.37 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 12th. This is an increase from MetLife’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.30%.

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.