Best Insurance

Best Insurance stock - MetLife MET Stock Prediction 2013, MetLife insurance shares 2013: MetLife investors have waited since the autumn of 2011 for the company to buy back shares and raise its dividend, but regulators foiled the company's plans. On a year-end investor call with analysts, MetLife management said the 2013 forecast assumes no share buybacks. Chief Executive Steve Kandarian later added, "I don't have total confidence" the company will be free to buy back shares after 2013, either.

MetLife Inc (MET.N) warned that 2013 earnings might be well below Wall Street expectations and said it did not expect to buy back any shares next year, a blow to investors who have been waiting more than a year for a capital return.

For this year, the insurer expects operating earnings of $5.5 billion to $5.6 billion, or $5.15 to $5.25 per share, compared with analysts' average estimate of $5.25.

In 2013, it expects $5.5 billion to $5.9 billion, or $4.95 to $5.35 per share. Analysts' average forecast is $5.47, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. MetLife's operating earnings forecast excludes discontinued operations and net investment gains and losses.

MetLife (NYSE: MET)‘s stock had its “equalweight” rating restated by equities researchers at Barclays Capital in a report issued on Thursday. They currently have a $37.00 target price on the stock.

MetLife traded up 0.36% on Thursday, hitting $35.2777. MetLife has a 52-week low of $27.60 and a 52-week high of $39.55. The stock’s 50-day moving average is currently $32.85. The company has a market cap of $38.490 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.33.

MetLife last released its earnings data on Wednesday, October 31st. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.28 by $0.04. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that MetLife will post $5.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Several other analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Analysts at Macquarie reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of MetLife in a research note to investors on Monday. They now have a $45.00 price target on the stock. Separately, analysts at Credit Suisse reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of MetLife in a research note to investors on Monday, December 24th.

 Over the next five years, the analysts that follow this company are expecting it to grow earnings at an average annual rate of 8.73%.This year, analysts are forecasting earnings increase of 3.71% over last year. Analysts expect earnings growth next year of 0.35% over this year's forecasted earnings.

Figure MetLife Inc. (MET) Stock 1 year 

 MetLife Inc. (MET) - The largest U.S. life insurer, MetLife also has a substantial financial services business, with a focus on retirement planning and corporate benefit funding. The company also has a rapidly growing international business, currently comprising 31% of revenues.

Currently yielding 2.3%, MetLife has a solid record of raising the dividend; however they have kept the payout constant since the financial crisis. My favorite thing about MET is its extremely attractive valuation, currently trading at only 6.7 times earnings. The failure of the Fed's stress test could be the reason for the depressed valuation, but analysts tend to believe that MET is financially sound and is well positioned to capture additional market share.

 MetLife, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides insurance, annuities, and employee benefit programs in the United States, Japan, Latin America, the Asia Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East. The company offers group life insurance products, including variable, universal, term, and whole life products, as well as employee paid supplemental life products; and individual life insurance products comprising variable, universal, term, and whole life products, as well as a range of mutual funds and other securities products. It also provides non-medical health products and services, which include dental insurance, group short- and long-term disability, individual disability income, long-term care, critical illness, and accidental death and dismemberment coverages, as well as employer-sponsored auto and homeowners insurance, and administrative services to employers; and retirement products consisting variable and fixed annuities that are primarily sold to individuals and employees of corporations and other institutions. In addition, the company offers an array of annuity and investment products, including guaranteed interest products and other stable value products, income annuities, and separate account contracts for the investment management of defined benefit and defined contribution plan assets, as well as offers products to fund postretirement benefits; personal lines of property and casualty insurance to employees and individuals, as well as personal excess liability and coverage for recreational vehicles and boat owners; and credit insurance and endowment products. Further, it offers banking products comprising mortgage and deposit products, as well as other financial services. The company sells its products through its sales forces, third-party organizations, independent agents, and property and casualty specialists. MetLife, Inc. was founded in 1863 and is based in New York, New York.