MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) Receives Consensus Rating of “Buy” from Analysts

MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) has received a consensus recommendation of “Buy” from the twelve brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $90.00.

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on MET shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on MetLife from $92.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Barclays boosted their price target on MetLife from $90.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of MetLife from $97.00 to $99.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of MetLife from $86.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of MetLife from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday.

MetLife Stock Performance

Shares of MetLife stock opened at $82.91 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $82.94 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $78.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $57.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.72, a P/E/G ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 1.07. MetLife has a fifty-two week low of $64.61 and a fifty-two week high of $89.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.16 and a quick ratio of 0.16.

MetLife Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 4th will be given a dividend of $0.545 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 4th. This represents a $2.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.63%. MetLife’s payout ratio is 43.95%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MetLife

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of MetLife by 244.4% during the 3rd quarter. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC now owns 310 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 220 shares during the period. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. grew its holdings in MetLife by 131.9% in the third quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. now owns 327 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 186 shares during the period. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC increased its stake in MetLife by 374.3% in the third quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 351 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 277 shares in the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of MetLife during the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its position in shares of MetLife by 177.3% during the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 416 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 266 shares in the last quarter. 94.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.