Morgan Stanley Issues Positive Forecast for MetLife (NYSE:MET) Stock Price

MetLife (NYSE:MET) had its price objective raised by Morgan Stanley from $101.00 to $109.00 in a research note published on Friday,Benzinga reports. Morgan Stanley currently has an overweight rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

MET has been the topic of several other reports. Barclays cut their target price on MetLife from $96.00 to $95.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on MetLife from $100.00 to $98.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on MetLife from $86.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. StockNews.com downgraded MetLife from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, TD Cowen raised 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, MetLife presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $94.58.

MetLife Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MET opened at $86.16 on Friday. MetLife has a 1 year low of $67.30 and a 1 year high of $89.05. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $83.65 and a 200 day simple moving average of $81.83. The company has a current ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The firm has a market cap of $59.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.43, a P/E/G ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.07.

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

MetLife Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 4th will be given a dividend of $0.545 per share. This represents a $2.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 4th. MetLife’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.52%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MetLife

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new stake in MetLife during the fourth quarter worth about $62,265,000. Brooklyn FI LLC acquired a new stake in MetLife during the fourth quarter worth about $738,000. REAP Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in MetLife by 33.5% during the fourth quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 937 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $77,000 after purchasing an additional 235 shares during the period. Capital A Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in MetLife during the fourth quarter worth about $71,000. Finally, Armis Advisers LLC bought a new position in MetLife during the fourth quarter worth about $279,000. 94.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.