MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) Receives $88.62 Consensus Price Target from Analysts

MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) has earned an average recommendation of “Buy” from the thirteen ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $88.62.

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of MetLife from $97.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. StockNews.com raised MetLife from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 1st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on MetLife from $92.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Barclays cut their price objective on MetLife from $91.00 to $90.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on MetLife from $89.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, September 27th.

MetLife Stock Up 0.5 %

MET opened at $82.21 on Friday. MetLife has a 12 month low of $64.61 and a 12 month high of $89.05. The business has a 50-day moving average of $82.89 and a two-hundred day moving average of $78.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.16 and a quick ratio of 0.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $56.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 1.06.

MetLife Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 5th were paid a dividend of $0.545 per share. This represents a $2.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 5th. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 43.95%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MetLife

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. PFG Investments LLC boosted its holdings in MetLife by 8.9% in the third quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 6,360 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $525,000 after purchasing an additional 520 shares during the last quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new position in shares of MetLife in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $2,960,000. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC purchased a new position in shares of MetLife during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,074,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its position in shares of MetLife by 13.9% during the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 90,092 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $7,430,000 after buying an additional 11,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its stake in shares of MetLife by 5.6% in the third quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 285,514 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $23,549,000 after buying an additional 15,251 shares during the last quarter. 94.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About MetLife

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.