MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) Given Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" by the thirteen brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and twelve have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $90.46.

Several brokerages have weighed in on MET. Barclays raised their price objective on MetLife from $90.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of MetLife in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They set a "market perform" rating and a $97.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of MetLife from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on MetLife from $86.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price target on MetLife from $97.00 to $99.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th.

MetLife Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of MetLife stock traded down $0.44 on Tuesday, hitting $86.56. The company had a trading volume of 2,954,888 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,502,179. MetLife has a 1 year low of $64.61 and a 1 year high of $89.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a current ratio of 0.16. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $84.06 and a 200-day moving average of $80.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $59.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.45, a P/E/G ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.07.

MetLife Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 4th will be given a $0.545 dividend. This represents a $2.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.52%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 4th. MetLife's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.95%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MetLife

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MET. United Asset Strategies Inc. increased its stake in MetLife by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc. now owns 10,933 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $895,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. raised its holdings in shares of MetLife by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 11,942 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $978,000 after buying an additional 121 shares in the last quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. lifted its position in MetLife by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 9,464 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $781,000 after buying an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. grew its position in MetLife by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 6,044 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $495,000 after acquiring an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Abacus Planning Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of MetLife by 1.0% during the third quarter. Abacus Planning Group Inc. now owns 12,301 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,015,000 after acquiring an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. 94.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.