MetLife (NYSE:MET) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

MetLife (NYSE:MET - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report issued on Friday.

Several other brokerages have also recently commented on MET. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of MetLife from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $70.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Monday, January 8th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of MetLife from $87.00 to $82.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on MetLife from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on MetLife from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, April 15th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on MetLife from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MetLife currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $79.23.

MetLife Stock Performance

MET stock traded up $0.28 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $70.52. 2,881,314 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,564,621. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.29 billion, a PE ratio of 24.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $71.64 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $67.40. MetLife has a 52 week low of $48.95 and a 52 week high of $74.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a current ratio of 0.16.

MetLife (NYSE:MET - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The financial services provider reported $1.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.83. The company had revenue of $17.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.73 billion. MetLife had a return on equity of 20.37% and a net margin of 3.50%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.52 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that MetLife will post 8.71 EPS for the current year.

MetLife declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program on Wednesday, May 1st that allows the company to repurchase $3.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to reacquire up to 6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Ramy Tadros sold 4,026 shares of MetLife stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.90, for a total value of $289,469.40. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 146,981 shares in the company, valued at $10,567,933.90. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other MetLife news, EVP Bill Pappas sold 27,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.27, for a total transaction of $1,951,290.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 57,768 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,174,893.36. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Ramy Tadros sold 4,026 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.90, for a total transaction of $289,469.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 146,981 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,567,933.90. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.32% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of MetLife

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of MetLife by 678.4% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 287,311 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $19,000,000 after buying an additional 250,402 shares during the period. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd raised its holdings in MetLife by 19.2% in the 4th quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 1,824,596 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $120,661,000 after purchasing an additional 293,925 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its position in shares of MetLife by 9.9% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,664,012 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $176,304,000 after purchasing an additional 240,564 shares during the period. MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH boosted its stake in shares of MetLife by 13.1% during the 4th quarter. MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH now owns 742,302 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $49,088,000 after purchasing an additional 86,091 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of MetLife by 50.0% during the third quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 8,856 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $557,000 after buying an additional 2,952 shares during the period. 89.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

MetLife Company Profile

MetLife, Inc, a financial services company, provides insurance, annuities, employee benefits, and asset management services worldwide. It operates through six segments: Retirement and Income Solutions; Group Benefits; Asia; Latin America; Europe, the Middle East and Africa; and MetLife Holdings. The company offers life, dental, group short-and long-term disability, individual disability, pet insurance, accidental death and dismemberment, vision, and accident and health coverages, as well as prepaid legal plans; administrative services-only arrangements to employers; and general and separate account, and synthetic guaranteed interest contracts, as well as private floating rate funding agreements.

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