MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen analysts that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eight have issued a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $95.6364.

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on MET. Barclays set a $90.00 price target on shares of MetLife in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of MetLife from $94.00 to $97.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of MetLife from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Thursday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on MetLife from $92.00 to $90.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on MetLife from $94.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MetLife

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of MET. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in MetLife by 12.1% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 72,555,335 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,727,518,000 after buying an additional 7,805,814 shares during the period. Dodge & Cox raised its stake in shares of MetLife by 0.9% in the third quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 53,659,664 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,419,947,000 after acquiring an additional 477,783 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in MetLife by 1.5% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 12,572,807 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,035,622,000 after purchasing an additional 180,683 shares during the period. Pzena Investment Management LLC grew its stake in MetLife by 22.9% during the 4th quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 11,883,338 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $938,071,000 after purchasing an additional 2,211,315 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in MetLife during the 2nd quarter worth about $756,104,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.99% of the company’s stock.

MetLife Price Performance

MET stock opened at $76.61 on Friday. MetLife has a 1 year low of $65.21 and a 1 year high of $87.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.20 and a quick ratio of 0.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.48 billion, a PE ratio of 16.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 0.77. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $78.90 and a 200-day simple moving average of $78.81.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.34 by $0.24. MetLife had a return on equity of 21.81% and a net margin of 4.38%.The company had revenue of $18.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.43 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.08 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 27.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that MetLife will post 9.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.5675 per share. This represents a $2.27 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 3rd. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.30%.

MetLife News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting MetLife this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 adjusted EPS beat consensus and operating performance showed strength — MetLife reported stronger-than-expected adjusted earnings driven by higher volumes across key units. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Management set multi-year targets: double‑digit adjusted EPS growth and a $25B free cash flow objective under the New Frontier strategy — investors see this as a credible roadmap for capital returns and earnings growth. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Investment returns and segment mix helped results — strong performance in Asia, Group Benefits and Retirement & Income Solutions (RIS) provided earnings tailwinds. Management highlighted these as engines of record EPS growth. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst reaction is largely supportive — recent notes and analyst commentary following the release show constructive views on the beat and the strategy outlook. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Full call materials and transcripts are available for review — investors can dig into prepared remarks and the full Q&A for details on assumptions and risks. Read More. | Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Management flagged macro labor dynamics — CFO Drew Matus commented there’s “no demand for labor,” a macro observation that could temper wage-driven premium growth but is not an immediate company‑specific headwind. Read More. | Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue missed some estimates and there were one‑off headwinds (Mexico VAT impact) that trimmed top‑line — this explains some caution beneath the beat and is a factor to watch in next-quarter guidance. Read More. | Read More.

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.