MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET – Get Free Report) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the fourteen ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eleven have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $95.3077.
A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Barclays lifted their price objective on MetLife from $89.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on MetLife from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on MetLife from $87.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. TD Cowen reduced their target price on MetLife from $91.00 to $88.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded MetLife from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Monday.
View Our Latest Report on MetLife
MetLife Stock Performance
MetLife (NYSE:MET – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 22.60% and a net margin of 4.66%.The firm had revenue of $14.18 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.49 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.96 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that MetLife will post 9.98 EPS for the current year.
MetLife Increases Dividend
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 12th were given a $0.5925 dividend. This is an increase from MetLife’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. This represents a $2.37 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 12th. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.93%.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On MetLife
Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in shares of MetLife by 81.3% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 93,574 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $6,618,000 after buying an additional 41,951 shares during the period. DV Trading LLC increased its holdings in MetLife by 200.0% during the 1st quarter. DV Trading LLC now owns 3,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $212,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares during the period. Optiver Holding B.V. increased its holdings in MetLife by 3,007.7% during the 1st quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. now owns 4,040 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $286,000 after purchasing an additional 3,910 shares during the period. Keel Point LLC acquired a new position in shares of MetLife during the 1st quarter worth about $250,000. Finally, Alpine Woods Capital Investors LLC acquired a new position in shares of MetLife during the 1st quarter worth about $3,925,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.99% of the company’s stock.
Key Stories Impacting MetLife
Here are the key news stories impacting MetLife this week:
- Neutral Sentiment: World Cup coverage is keeping MetLife Stadium in the headlines, including reports that the final will be played there and that the venue is drawing unusually high attention from fans and media. Article Title
- Neutral Sentiment: There are also logistics-related stories about congestion and commuter concerns around MetLife Stadium during World Cup events, which may matter more to event operations than to MetLife’s core financial performance. Article Title
- Negative Sentiment: Several players and coaches, including France’s Adrien Rabiot and Didier Deschamps, publicly criticized the MetLife Stadium pitch as hard and poor-quality, raising concerns about the venue’s surface and potentially creating reputational noise around the stadium. Article Title
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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