DOWLING & PARTN Has Positive View of MetLife FY2026 Earnings

Key Points

• DOWLING & PARTN raised MetLife’s FY2026 EPS estimate to $10.10 from $9.90, above the $9.70 consensus forecast. Analysts maintain a broadly positive outlook, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and a $101.07 price target.
• MetLife’s latest quarterly results exceeded expectations, with EPS of $2.43 versus the $2.30 consensus and year-over-year revenue growth of 10.5%. The company reported a 23.39% return on equity.
• MetLife announced a $3 billion share-repurchase authorization and a quarterly dividend of $0.5925 per share, equivalent to a 2.4% annualized yield. Institutional investors own approximately 95% of the company’s stock.

MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET - Free Report) - Equities researchers at DOWLING & PARTN boosted their FY2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of MetLife in a research note issued to investors on Friday, August 14th. DOWLING & PARTN analyst J. Hurwitz now expects that the financial services provider will post earnings of $10.10 per share for the year, up from their previous estimate of $9.90. The consensus estimate for MetLife's current full-year earnings is $9.70 per share.

MetLife (NYSE:MET - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The financial services provider reported $2.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.30 by $0.13. MetLife had a return on equity of 23.39% and a net margin of 4.57%.The firm had revenue of $13.52 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.67 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.02 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 10.5% on a year-over-year basis.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on MET. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of MetLife in a research note on Wednesday. Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of MetLife from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of MetLife from $87.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of MetLife from $106.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on MetLife from $105.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $101.07.

MetLife Stock Performance

Shares of MetLife stock opened at $96.83 on Wednesday. MetLife has a 12 month low of $67.33 and a 12 month high of $100.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $62.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.55, a P/E/G ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a current ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $92.00 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $81.86.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MetLife

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in MetLife by 12.1% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 72,555,335 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $5,727,518,000 after purchasing an additional 7,805,814 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of MetLife during the 2nd quarter valued at about $4,381,692,000. Pzena Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of MetLife by 22.9% during the 4th quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 11,883,338 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $938,071,000 after purchasing an additional 2,211,315 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of MetLife in the 4th quarter worth approximately $639,986,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of MetLife by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 7,012,198 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $553,543,000 after buying an additional 176,811 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.99% of the company's stock.

MetLife Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.5925 per share. This represents a $2.37 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 4th. MetLife's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 45.40%.

MetLife announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, August 5th that allows the company to buyback $3.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to purchase up to 4.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

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.

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