MetLife Inc (NYSE:MET) | MetLife Announces Completion of Share Purchase ...

[PR Newswire] - HONG KONG, April 11, 2014 /PRNewswire/ - MetLife announced today that American Life Insurance Company (ALICO) had completed the First Closing under the Share Purchase Agreement (SPA) entered into with ...Read more on this.

MetLife, Inc. (MET), with a current value of $56.29B, started the session at $49.98. Looking at today's trading action, the company's one day range from $49.37 to $50.37 with a one year range of $35.25 to $54.80. MET shares are currently priced at 9.09x this year's forecasted earnings, which makes them relatively inexpensive compared to the industry's 16.91x earnings multiple for the same period. And for dividend hunters, the company pays shareholders $1.10 per share annually in dividends, yielding 2.10%. According to a consensus of 19 analysts, the earnings estimate of $1.40 per share would be $0.08 worse than the year-ago quarter and a $0.01 sequential decrease. Furthermore, our analysis shows the full-year EPS estimate to be $5.69, which would be a $0.06 better when compared to the last year's annual results. The quarterly earnings estimate is based on a consensus revenue forecast of the current quarter of $17.67 Billion. If realized, that would be a 4.06% increase over the year-ago quarter. Recently, UBS downgraded MET from Buy to Neutral (Jan 6, 2014). Previously, Deutsche Bank Initiated MET at to Hold. Given all the information above, we should disclose to readers that the average price target is $60.19, which is 20.43% above than it opened this morning. Summary (NYSE:MET) : MetLife, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides insurance, annuities, and employee benefit programs in the United States, Japan, Latin America, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. It operates in six segments: Retail; Group, Voluntary & Worksite Benefits; Corporate Benefit Funding; Latin America; Asia; and Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The company provides variable, universal, term, and whole life products; individual disability income products; personal lines property and casualty insurance, including private passenger automobile, homeowners, and personal excess liability insurance; and variable and fixed annuities for asset accumulation and distribution needs, as well as mutual funds and other securities products. It also offers group insurance products, such as variable, universal, and term life products; dental, group short- and long-term disability, and accidental death and dismemberment coverages; and voluntary and worksite products consisting of personal lines property and casualty insurance, as well as LTC, prepaid legal plans, and critical illness products. In addition, the company provides annuity and investment products comprising 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; and structured settlements and products to fund postretirement benefits and company-, bank- or trust-owned life insurance, as well as health insurance, group medical, credit insurance, endowment, retirement, and savings products. It serves individuals and corporations, as well as other institutions and their employees. The company sells its products through sales forces, third-party organizations, independent agents, and property and casualty specialists, as well as through career agency, bancassurance, direct marketing, brokerage, and e-commerce channels. MetLife, Inc. was founded in 1863 and is based in New York, New York. Tag Helper ~ Stock Code: MET | Common Company name: MetLife | Full Company name: MetLife Inc (NYSE:MET) .

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Company Update: Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) – JPMorgan profit weaker than ...

[Reuters] - JPMorgan's bond trading revenue plunged 21 percent, and mortgage lending revenue fell 84 percent from the same quarter last year. But most of the bank's big businesses, including credit card and commercial lending, delivered lower profits. Overall, net income fell 19 percent to $5.27 billion, or $1.28 per share, from $6.53 billion, or $1.59 per share, in the same quarter of 2013, the biggest U.S. bank said on Friday. JPMorgan's shares, which recently topped $61 to trade at their highest level in 13 years, were down 3.3 percent at $55.50 in premarket trading.Read more on this.

Morgan Stanley (MS), valued at $56.88B, opened at $28.82. Looking at the stock, its one day range is $28.45 to $28.86 with its 52-week range being $20.16 to $33.52. MS shares are currently priced at 12.59x this year's forecasted earnings, which makes them relatively inexpensive compared to the industry's 20.09x earnings multiple for the same period. The company pays shareholders $0.20 per share in dividend income per year, for a current yield of 0.70%. In a review of the consensus earnings estimate this quarter, 24 sell-side analysts are looking at $0.60 per share, which would be $0.01 worse than the year-ago quarter and a $0.06 sequential decrease. What we find to be interesting is that the full-year EPS estimate of $2.40 is a $0.34 improvement when compared to the previous year's annual results. The quarterly earnings estimate is predicated on a consensus revenue forecast of $8.52 Billion. If reported, that would be a 0.47% increase over the year-ago quarter. In terms of ratings, Deutsche Bank downgraded MS from Buy to Hold (Dec 5, 2013). Previously, Oppenheimer downgraded MS from Outperform to Perform. The average price target for MS shares is $33.69, which is 16.90% above where the stock opened this morning. Summary (NYSE:MS) : Morgan Stanley, a financial holding company, provides various financial products and services to corporations, governments, financial institutions, and individuals worldwide. The company's Institutional Securities segment offers financial advisory services on mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, corporate restructurings, recapitalizations, spin-offs, exchange offers, leveraged buyouts, takeover defenses, and shareholder relations, as well as provides capital raising and corporate lending services. This segment is also engaged in sales, trading, financing, and market-making activities, including institutional equity, fixed income and commodities, research, and investment activities, as well as offers financing services, such as prime brokerage, consolidated clearance, settlement, custody, financing, and portfolio reporting services. Its Wealth Management segment provides brokerage and investment advisory services covering various types of investments comprising equities, options, futures, foreign currencies, precious metals, fixed income securities, mutual funds, structured products, alternative investments, unit investment trusts, managed futures, separately managed accounts, and mutual fund asset allocation programs. This segment also offers education savings programs, financial and wealth planning services, annuity and other insurance products, cash management services, trust and fiduciary services, retirement solutions, and credit and other lending products, as well as fixed income principal trading services. The company's Investment Management segment provides alternative investment products, such as hedge funds, private equity and real estate funds, and portable alpha strategies to institutional and intermediary channels, and high net worth clients, as well as is involved in real estate investing and merchant banking businesses. Morgan Stanley was founded in 1935 and is headquartered in New York, New York. Tag Helper ~ Stock Code: MS | Common Company name: Morgan Stanley | Full Company name: Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) .

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