MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts give MetLife a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from 14 firms (10 buy, 3 hold, 1 strong buy), with an average 12‑month price objective of $93.38.
• Recent analyst moves are mixed — Morgan Stanley and Bank of America trimmed targets while UBS raised its target and Wall Street Zen upgraded to buy — but the overall stance remains skewed toward buy ratings.
• MetLife beat quarterly expectations with EPS $2.49 versus $2.34 and reported revenue up 27.6% year‑over‑year; the stock trades near $76.94 with a market cap of $50.17 billion and a P/E of 16.37.

MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the fourteen research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, ten have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $93.3846.

Several research analysts have weighed in on MET shares. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on MetLife from $101.00 to $93.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Weiss Ratings cut MetLife from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Wall Street Zen upgraded MetLife from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 11th. UBS Group increased their price objective on MetLife from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price objective on MetLife from $103.00 to $99.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MET. Activest Wealth Management increased its position in MetLife by 205.8% during the 4th quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 315 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 212 shares during the period. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC increased its position in shares of MetLife by 790.0% in the third quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 356 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 316 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its position in shares of MetLife by 58.9% in the fourth 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 during the period. Garton & Associates Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of MetLife in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Gunpowder Capital Management LLC dba Oliver Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of MetLife in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Institutional investors own 94.99% of the company's stock.

MetLife Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of MetLife stock opened at $76.94 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $73.11 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $76.72. MetLife has a 1 year low of $67.33 and a 1 year high of $83.85. The company has a market capitalization of $50.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.37, a P/E/G ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 0.74. 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 - Get Free Report) last announced 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 business had revenue of $52.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.43 billion. MetLife had a return on equity of 21.81% and a net margin of 4.38%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 27.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.08 EPS. Research analysts forecast that MetLife will post 9.85 EPS for the current year.

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.

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