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

Key Points

• MetLife shares have a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating from 14 brokerages, with 11 buy ratings, 2 holds, and 1 strong buy. The average 12-month price target among updated firms is about $95.31.
• The company topped earnings expectations in its latest quarter, reporting $2.42 EPS versus the $2.27 consensus estimate. Revenue came in below expectations, but quarterly revenue still rose 2.7% year over year and net margin remained positive.
• MetLife raised its quarterly dividend to $0.5925 per share from $0.57, bringing the annualized payout to $2.37 and the yield to about 2.7%. The move reinforces the company’s shareholder-return focus, alongside ongoing buybacks and institutional support.

Shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the fourteen research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $95.3077.

A number of research firms have commented on MET. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of MetLife from $89.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on shares of MetLife from $81.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of MetLife from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of MetLife from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, Bank of America cut their price target on shares of MetLife from $103.00 to $99.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MetLife

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. 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. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ lifted its position in shares of MetLife by 6.5% in the 3rd quarter. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ now owns 187,358 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $15,433,000 after purchasing an additional 11,469 shares during the period. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MetLife in the 3rd quarter worth about $8,091,000. Finally, Strs Ohio lifted its position in shares of MetLife by 16.6% in the 4th quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 326,091 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $25,742,000 after purchasing an additional 46,469 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 broadened its settlement-solutions portfolio with a new deferred payment option, NQA-FA, aimed at the growing market for non-physical injury claims. The rollout suggests MetLife is expanding into a niche that could support future fee and premium growth. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage discussing MetLife as a “quietly making money” financial stock highlighted its dividend, buybacks, and supplemental insurance growth, reinforcing the view that the company continues to generate reliable cash returns for shareholders. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: At a Morgan Stanley financials conference, MetLife’s management commentary kept the stock in focus for investors looking for clues on strategy, capital deployment, and profitability trends. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles centered on MetLife Stadium’s World Cup preparations, including security spending, weather, matchups, and a temporary rename. These stories are tied to the stadium branding rather than MetLife’s insurance operations, so they are unlikely to materially affect the stock. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: One interview/commentary item about MetLife executive Drew Matus discussing AI and deflation was more macro-focused than company-specific, so it likely has limited near-term impact on the shares. Article Title

MetLife Price Performance

MET stock opened at $87.56 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.20 and a quick ratio of 0.20. MetLife has a one year low of $67.33 and a one year high of $87.96. The stock has a market cap of $56.34 billion, a PE ratio of 16.97, a P/E/G ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 0.78. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $79.20 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $77.32.

MetLife (NYSE:MET - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The financial services provider reported $2.42 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.15. MetLife had a net margin of 4.66% and a return on equity of 22.60%. The business had revenue of $14.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $19.49 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.96 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that MetLife will post 9.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 12th were paid a $0.5925 dividend. This is a positive change from MetLife's previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 12th. This represents a $2.37 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. MetLife's dividend payout ratio is currently 45.93%.

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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