MetLife (NYSE:MET) Stock Price Expected to Rise, UBS Group Analyst Says

MetLife (NYSE:MET) had its target price hoisted by UBS Group from $94.00 to $98.00 in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

MET has been the topic of a number of other reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on MetLife from $92.00 to $97.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of MetLife from $101.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of MetLife in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Barclays cut their price target on shares of MetLife from $96.00 to $95.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on MetLife from $88.00 to $86.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MetLife presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $94.85.

MetLife Price Performance

MET stock opened at $68.71 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $46.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.51, a P/E/G ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.16 and a quick ratio of 0.16. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $82.41 and a 200 day simple moving average of $82.90. MetLife has a 1 year low of $67.30 and a 1 year high of $89.05.

MetLife (NYSE:MET) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $2.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.13 by ($0.05). MetLife had a return on equity of 20.42% and a net margin of 6.19%. Research analysts anticipate that MetLife will post 9.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MetLife Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 4th were issued a $0.545 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 4th. This represents a $2.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.17%. MetLife’s payout ratio is currently 36.52%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MetLife

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Ball & Co Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of MetLife in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Transce3nd LLC bought a new stake in MetLife in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of MetLife during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of MetLife during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MetLife in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. 94.99% of the stock is currently owned by 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.