MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Shares of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET - Get Free Report) have been given an average rating of "Moderate Buy" by the fourteen analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and thirteen have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $92.46.

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on MET. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of MetLife from $94.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on MetLife from $98.00 to $95.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on MetLife from $88.00 to $86.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on MetLife from $97.00 to $91.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on MetLife from $109.00 to $94.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th.

MetLife Price Performance

MET stock traded up $0.79 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $72.49. 2,739,216 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,404,801. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.16 and a quick ratio of 0.16. MetLife has a 12-month low of $65.21 and a 12-month high of $89.05. The stock's 50 day moving average is $79.41 and its 200 day moving average is $82.19. The company has a market cap of $49.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 0.89.

MetLife (NYSE:MET - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $2.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.13 by ($0.05). MetLife had a net margin of 6.19% and a return on equity of 20.42%. On average, research analysts expect that MetLife will post 9.65 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MetLife

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in MetLife in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $730,716,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its position in MetLife by 33.7% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 24,663,239 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,019,427,000 after purchasing an additional 6,213,923 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in shares of MetLife by 109.2% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 8,826,658 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $722,727,000 after purchasing an additional 4,606,748 shares during the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of MetLife by 43.7% during the 4th quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 5,663,177 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $463,701,000 after purchasing an additional 1,723,461 shares during the period. Finally, Swedbank AB increased its position in shares of MetLife by 76.0% during the 4th quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 3,466,808 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $283,862,000 after purchasing an additional 1,496,645 shares during the last quarter. 94.99% of the stock is currently 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.