metlife stock: MET overview

This article explains metlife stock (MET), the common equity of MetLife, Inc. It covers listings and identifiers, company business lines, trading history, valuation metrics, dividends and buybacks,...

2024-07-04 12:03:00

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MetLife, Inc. (MET) — Stock

Lead summary

metlife stock refers to the common equity of MetLife, Inc., listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker MET. The share represents ownership in a global provider of life insurance, employee benefits, annuities and asset management services. This article explains what metlife stock is, how it trades, where to find official data, and key factors investors and researchers typically monitor.

H2: Identifiers and market listings

Ticker symbol: MET (New York Stock Exchange)
Common name used in market data: MetLife, Inc.
Typical identifiers you will see: ISIN (company ISIN), CUSIP, and exchange ticker. For MetLife, consult the company investor relations for the exact ISIN and CUSIP details.
Market data fields commonly displayed in quotes and investor pages: last price, 52‑week high/low, market capitalization, shares outstanding, float, volume, P/E ratio, dividend yield, and beta.

Note: Numeric market values (price, market cap, yield) are time sensitive. Always fetch current figures from MetLife investor relations, major financial-data platforms, or regulatory filings. For example, as of January 24, 2026, a publicly reported intraday quote placed MET near $76.77 and short interest figures were reported in market summaries. Verify latest numbers before making any decisions.

H2: Company overview (issuer)

MetLife, Inc. is a large, U.S.-based insurer and financial-services company with a global footprint. The firm traces its roots to the 19th century and today operates across multiple product lines and geographic regions. Key business lines commonly highlighted in reports and investor materials include:

Life insurance: Individual and group life policies sold through many distribution channels.
Employee benefits: Group benefits such as dental, disability and supplemental life sold to employers and institutions.
Annuities and retirement solutions: Variable and fixed annuities, pension risk transfer and retirement plan services.
Asset management: Investment management for both MetLife’s general account and third-party clients.

Organizational segments and revenue mix are important because each line behaves differently in financial cycles. For example, life insurance underwriting and reserve dynamics are sensitive to mortality and morbidity trends, while annuities and asset management revenues are more closely tied to interest rates and market returns. Understanding how the company allocates capital across these segments helps clarify why metlife stock performance may diverge from general equity markets.

H2: Trading history and stock performance

H3: IPO and corporate milestones

MetLife’s corporate history spans over a century. The company evolved through mutual ownership structures and later completed a demutualization and public listing in the modern era. Major corporate events that historically affected metlife stock include: demutualization and listing milestones, large acquisitions and divestitures, restructuring and strategic portfolio shifts, and notable regulatory or actuarial developments. For accurate dates and primary-source details, consult MetLife investor relations and SEC filings, which document IPO/demutualization dates and significant corporate actions.

H3: Historical price performance

Long-term price trends for metlife stock reflect a mix of insurance-sector fundamentals, interest-rate cycles, capital-market returns, and company-specific events. Historical-price datasets from financial data providers can show decades-long trends, including earlier highs and lows, and the typical 52‑week range reported on stock pages.

When looking at historical performance, consider these lenses:

Multi-year total return vs. peers and indexes: Total return (price change plus reinvested dividends) is the most comprehensive long-term performance metric.
Reaction to macro shocks: Insurance names often respond to interest-rate moves, equity-market drawdowns, and large catastrophe events.
Earnings cycles: Insurance companies show sensitivity to underwriting results and investment spreads—both of which feed into EPS trajectories and stock re-rating.

H3: Intraday and technical trading info

For short-term traders and market participants, metlife stock exhibits typical patterns for a large-cap insurance equity. Observations often reported by market-data platforms include:

Average daily trading volume and intraday liquidity: MET is generally liquid enough for institutional and retail participation, but volumes fluctuate with earnings, index rebalancings and macro news.
Volatility profile: Insurance stocks can show moderate volatility relative to broader market indices; volatility often rises during earnings seasons or macro stress.
Technical indicators: Traders consult moving averages, RSI, support/resistance levels and volume spikes on charting platforms to assess short-term setups.

Data providers such as charting services and exchange data feeds provide the specific intraday and historical series for rigorous technical work.

H2: Financial metrics and valuation

Common metrics to evaluate metlife stock include:

Earnings per share (EPS) and adjusted EPS: Shows profitability available to common shareholders.
Price-to-earnings ratio (P/E): Market price divided by EPS; useful for relative valuation compared to peers and the sector.
Price-to-book (P/B): Insurance businesses often report substantial book values; P/B helps show how markets value statutory and GAAP equity.
Price-to-sales (P/S) and enterprise-value multiples: Used less frequently for insurers, but can be helpful in specific contexts.
Return on equity (ROE) and combined ratio: ROE measures profitability; the combined ratio is an underwriting profitability metric specific to insurance lines.

Remember that accounting methods, reserve practices, and regulatory capital rules can influence headline metrics. Always consult the latest quarterly and annual reports for reconciliations of non-GAAP metrics and the firm’s explanation of drivers.

H2: Dividends, buybacks, and corporate actions

H3: Dividend policy

MetLife has historically paid regular dividends to common shareholders on a quarterly basis. The company’s dividend policy is set by the board and reflects balance-sheet strength, capital requirements and long-term cash-generation expectations. Dividend yield and payout rates change with price and earnings, so check the investor-relations dividend history and the company’s disclosures for the current declared dividend and payment schedule.

When tracking dividends for metlife stock, pay attention to:

Declaration dates and ex-dividend dates: These determine who is entitled to the payment.
Dividend sustainability: Measured by payout ratio, cash-from-operations and regulatory capital positions.
Historical growth or reductions: Changes in policy often coincide with capital actions, acquisitions or shifts in risk appetite.

H3: Share repurchases and other capital actions

MetLife may announce share-repurchase programs and other capital-return mechanisms from time to time. Buyback announcements typically include an authorized dollar amount or share quantity and may be executed over multiple quarters. Stock splits are uncommon for large financials but would be disclosed clearly through the company’s press releases and regulatory filings. For precise program details and execution status, consult the company’s capital-actions disclosures and annual reports.

H2: Ownership and shareholder base

Institutional investors often hold a large portion of metlife stock. Typical ownership categories include mutual funds, pension funds, insurance-linked investors, and other large asset managers. Insider ownership for large public insurers tends to be modest compared with founding-owned firms.

Key sources for ownership data:

SEC filings (Forms 13F for institutional holdings and Form 4 for insider transactions)
The company’s proxy statement (DEF 14A) for significant shareholder lists and executive/board holdings
Market-data platforms that aggregate institutional and insider tables

Up-to-date ownership snapshots and changes are available in those filings; users should check the filing date when interpreting any table.

H2: Analyst coverage and market sentiment

Numerous sell-side and independent analysts follow metlife stock, publishing earnings estimates, ratings and price targets. Coverage provides insights into consensus expectations for EPS, book-value trends and the company’s capital-return plans.

Market sentiment is also reflected in data like short interest. As an example of publicly reported short-interest context: as of January 24, 2026, a market summary reported that MetLife Inc.’s short interest totaled roughly 8.55 million shares, representing about 1.56% of the tradable float, and that it would take about 2.65 days to cover those positions at typical trading volumes. This type of metric helps indicate how many shares are sold short and how quickly short positions could be covered under normal volume conditions. When reviewing analyst notes and market sentiment, always confirm the date and source of the figures.

H2: Regulatory filings and investor relations

Official sources for metlife stock information include:

MetLife investor relations pages for press releases, dividend records, historical stock quotes and investor presentations.
SEC filings (10-K annual reports, 10-Q quarterly reports, and 8-K current reports) for audited results, risk factors and disclosures of material events.
Company earnings releases and webcasts for quarterly results and management commentary.

To find the most authoritative and timestamped information, consult the company’s investor relations and the SEC EDGAR system. These resources publish the full text of filings and event notices that can confirm dividends, buybacks, and corporate actions.

H2: Risks and investment considerations

When evaluating metlife stock, common risk categories to review include:

Underwriting risk: Adverse mortality, morbidity, or claims trends can increase loss ratios and require reserve strengthening.
Investment-portfolio risk: Insurers hold large investment portfolios; equity-market declines, credit losses, or mark‑to‑market moves can affect capital and earnings.
Interest-rate sensitivity: Fixed-income yields drive net investment spreads and valuation of long-duration liabilities; rapid rate moves can compress or expand margins.
Regulatory and capital rules: Insurance regulation and solvency requirements vary by country and can constrain capital distributions.
Geographic and product concentration: Country-specific exposures, or concentration in a product line, can elevate risk.
Operational and cyber risks: Technology failures or cyber events pose operational risks for insurers and can affect reputation and costs.

Always consult the “Risk Factors” section of the latest annual report (10‑K) for a comprehensive, company‑stated list of the most material risks.

H2: Comparisons and peers

For relative valuation and sector context, analysts often compare metlife stock with major peers in life and health insurance and diversified financial services. Typical comparator names in the life/financial-services sector include large public insurers and benefits providers. Peer comparison helps assess relative P/E, P/B, dividend yield and capital strength.

Use peer analysis to understand whether metlife stock is trading at a premium or discount to similar companies, and to evaluate business-mix differences that explain valuation gaps.

H2: See also

MetLife corporate overview and company history
New York Stock Exchange listing basics
Insurance industry stocks: sector behavior and valuation metrics
Equity valuation and dividend-investing concepts

H2: References and source notes

This article draws on corporate disclosures and market-data reports. For timestamped and primary-source figures, consult the company’s investor relations documents and filings, plus established market-data providers and reporting outlets. Examples of sources to consult include investor relations pages, major financial-data platforms and recognized financial news organizations. When referencing specific market statistics, ensure you note the report date. For instance:

As of January 24, 2026, a market summary reported MET at about $76.77 and short interest figures near 8.55 million shares (reporting outlets and market-data summaries).
As of January 2026, Fortune magazine’s World’s Most Admired Companies list placed MetLife as the leader in the life and health insurance category, marking a notable reputational recognition.

These dated references are included for context; market values and investor metrics should be verified against the latest filings or market-data feeds before use.