Brokerages Set MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) Target Price at $95.08

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 reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $95.4167.

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Barclays set a $90.00 target price on MetLife in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of MetLife from $94.00 to $97.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on shares of MetLife from $92.00 to $90.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. Mizuho set a $102.00 target price on shares of MetLife in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $101.00 price target on MetLife and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th.

MetLife Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MET opened at $77.85 on Tuesday. MetLife has a 52 week low of $65.21 and a 52 week high of $88.09. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $78.73 and a 200 day moving average price of $78.97. The company has a market cap of $51.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.66, a PEG ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a quick ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 0.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The financial services provider reported $2.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.30 by $0.07. MetLife had a return on equity of 21.00% and a net margin of 5.30%.The business had revenue of $12.46 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.64 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.95 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that MetLife will post 9.65 earnings per share for the current year.

MetLife Announces Dividend

The company 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 dividend of $0.5675 per share. This represents a $2.27 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 3rd. MetLife’s payout ratio is 42.75%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MetLife

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Quaker Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of MetLife by 198.2% in the second quarter. Quaker Wealth Management LLC now owns 333 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 672 shares during the last quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC raised its stake 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 purchasing an additional 316 shares during the last quarter. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC acquired a new position in MetLife in the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in MetLife in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC grew its holdings in shares of MetLife by 95.4% during the third quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 422 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 206 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.