Here's Why Investors Should Hold on to MetLife Stock Right Now

MetLife, Inc. MET gains from higher premiums, cost-cutting efforts, partnerships, acquisitions and steady cash balance.MetLife’s Zacks Rank & Price PerformanceMetLife carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) at present.The stock has gained 8% in the past year compared with the industry’s 4% growth.Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchMET’s Rising EstimatesThe Zacks Consensus Estimate for MetLife’s 2025 earnings is pegged at $9.60 per share, which indicates an improvement of 18.4% from the 2024 figure. The consensus mark for revenues is $75.6 billion, implying a rise of 3.5% from the 2024 figure. The consensus mark for 2026 earnings is pegged at $10.52 per share, indicating an improvement of 9.7% from the 2025 estimate. The same for revenues is $78.1 billion, indicating a 3.3% increase from the 2025 estimate.MET’s Solid Return on EquityReturn on equity in the trailing 12 months is currently 20.4%, which is higher than the industry’s average of 14.4%. This substantiates the company’s efficiency in utilizing shareholders’ funds.MetLife’s Business TailwindsMetLife has seen a steady recovery in its premiums, which are a significant contributor to the revenues of any insurer. In the Group Benefits segment, premiums grew 4% year over year in 2024. Additionally, the EMEA and Latin America segments have delivered strong premium growth, further bolstering the company’s revenue base.The company’s emphasis on streamlining operations, strategic acquisitions and collaborations is expected to support sustainable growth. MetLife has expanded its footprint in high-demand areas like vision care and pet insurance through the acquisitions of Versant Health and PetFirst, respectively. Partnerships with firms like Aura and Nayya have further enhanced its benefits portfolio. MetLife Investment Management recently agreed to acquire PineBridge Investments and Mesirow Financial, growing its assets under management.In December 2024, MetLife announced its partnership with Workday, which will integrate the former’s benefits offerings with the latter’s analytics-driven platform. MET has reduced volatility by divesting capital-intensive operations and prioritizing investments in high-growth areas.Cost-saving initiatives have driven significant operational efficiency at MetLife. Between 2015 and 2020, the company improved its direct expense ratio by 230 basis points. This trend has persisted, with the direct expense ratio remaining below the guided 12.3% threshold in 2024. It now expects to reduce the direct expense ratio by another 100 basis points in the next five years. MET launched its New Frontier Strategy, which is expected to focus on expanding leadership in group benefits and retirement platform, growing its asset management business and international business.MetLife’s robust liquidity position, evidenced by $20.1 billion in cash and cash equivalents as of Dec. 31, 2024, far exceeds its short-term debt of $119 million. It expects to generate free cash flow worth $25 billion in the next five years. This financial strength supports shareholder returns through share repurchases and dividend payouts. In April 2024, the company increased its dividend by 4.8%, further demonstrating its commitment to rewarding investors. Its dividend yield of 2.8% remains higher than the industry’s average of 2.5%.Key PicksSome better-ranked players in the broader Finance space are ProAssurance Corporation PRA, HCI Group, Inc. HCI and Palomar Holdings, Inc. PLMR, each presently sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ProAssurance’s bottom line for 2025 is pegged at 91 cents per share. The stock has witnessed two upward estimate revisions in the past 30 days with no movement in the opposite direction. PRA beat earnings estimates in each of the last four quarters, with an average surprise of 152.7%.The consensus estimate for HCI Group’s 2025 earnings per share indicates 102.2% year-over-year growth to $14.98. It beat earnings estimates in each of the last four quarters, with an average surprise of 45.7%. The consensus mark for HCI’s current-year revenues signals a 17.5% increase from a year ago.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Palomar Holdings’ 2025 earnings per share implies 31.8% year-over-year growth to $6.71. It beat earnings estimates in each of the last four quarters, with an average surprise of 16.6%. The consensus mark for PLMR’s current-year revenues signals 38.9% growth from a year ago.5 Stocks Set to DoubleEach was handpicked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in 2024. While not all picks can be winners, previous recommendations have soared +143.0%, +175.9%, +498.3% and +673.0%.Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor.Today, See These 5 Potential Home Runs >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report MetLife, Inc. (MET): Free Stock Analysis Report ProAssurance Corporation (PRA): Free Stock Analysis Report HCI Group, Inc. (HCI): Free Stock Analysis Report Palomar Holdings, Inc. (PLMR): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks