MetLife, Inc. · MET · FY2026 Q1 · Calendar Q2 2026
MetLife Q1 FY2026: Adjusted Earnings Up 18% as Asia and Investment Management Drive Growth
MetLife's Q1 FY2026 results demonstrate accelerating momentum in its New Frontier strategy, with adjusted earnings rising 18% to $1.6 billion and EPS of $2.42 beating consensus by 6.6%. The beat was broad-based, anchored by exceptional Asia growth (Japan +26%, Korea +44% sales) and a 68% earnings jump at MetLife Investment Management following the PineBridge acquisition. ROE reached 17%, at the top of the 15-17% target range. The market initially sold off with a -1.37% abnormal move on the report, but shares subsequently drifted +7.2%, suggesting investors warmed to the results over time. Management maintained guidance and signaled continued disciplined capital allocation, returning $1.1 billion to shareholders in the quarter through buybacks and a 4.4% dividend increase.
Company context
Snapshot as of publicationMetLife, Inc. operates as a leading global financial services entity, delivering an extensive array of services encompassing insurance, annuities, employee benefits, and asset management. The company manages its operations through five primary divisions: the U.S., Asia, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), and MetLife Holdings. Its broad insurance offerings include life, dental, group short-term and long-term disability, individual disability, pet, accidental death and dismemberment, vision, and accident and health coverages, as well as prepaid legal plans. MetLife also supports employers with administrative services-only (ASO) arrangements. Furthermore, it provides sophisticated financial instruments such as general and separate account contracts, synthetic guaranteed interest contracts, and private floating rate funding agreements.…
Earnings scorecard
Reported versus consensusEarnings History
Analyst 52W Price Targets
Latest persisted target per named analyst; persisted current price from FN2's market snapshot as of Jul 29, 2026. Not an FN2 forecast.
Firm-level rating actions
FMP grade actions identify the grading firm, not a named analyst.
| Firm | Rating | Prior rating | Action | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TD Cowen | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Jul 22, 2026 |
| JP Morgan | Overweight | Overweight | Maintain | Jul 21, 2026 |
| Keefe, Bruyette & Woods | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | Jul 13, 2026 |
| Evercore ISI Group | In Line | In Line | Maintain | Jul 13, 2026 |
| Jefferies | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Jul 10, 2026 |
| Wells Fargo | Overweight | Overweight | Maintain | Jul 9, 2026 |
| Mizuho | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | Jul 9, 2026 |
| UBS | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Jul 8, 2026 |
| Barclays | Overweight | Overweight | Maintain | Jul 7, 2026 |
| Morgan Stanley | Overweight | Overweight | Maintain | Jul 6, 2026 |
| Piper Sandler | Neutral | Neutral | Maintain | Jun 24, 2026 |
| B of A Securities | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Apr 14, 2026 |
| Citigroup | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Jul 23, 2024 |
| Argus Research | Buy | Buy | Maintain | May 22, 2024 |
| Goldman Sachs | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Jan 9, 2024 |
| RBC Capital | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | Aug 4, 2023 |
| Raymond James | Perform | Market Perform | Maintain | Sep 22, 2022 |
| Credit Suisse | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | Aug 22, 2022 |
| Wolfe Research | Outperform | Peer Perform | Upgrade | Aug 19, 2022 |
| Deutsche Bank | Hold | Hold | Maintain | Apr 12, 2019 |
| Sandler O'Neill | Hold | Buy | Downgrade | Mar 19, 2019 |
| Bank of America | Buy | Neutral | Upgrade | Jan 16, 2019 |
| B. Riley Securities | Neutral | Neutral | Maintain | Jul 16, 2018 |
| B. Riley FBR | Neutral | Neutral | Maintain | Jul 16, 2018 |
| Atlantic Equities | Overweight | Neutral | Upgrade | Mar 26, 2018 |
| Argus | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Nov 6, 2017 |
| FBR Capital | Neutral | Buy | Downgrade | Oct 10, 2017 |
| Macquarie | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | Feb 4, 2016 |
| Keefe Bruyette & Woods | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | Oct 12, 2015 |
| Sterne Agee | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Oct 13, 2014 |
| Drexel Hamilton | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Jul 7, 2014 |
| Janney Montgomery Scott | Buy | Neutral | Upgrade | Jan 3, 2014 |
| Janney Capital | Buy | Neutral | Upgrade | Jan 3, 2014 |
Named analyst price targets
Upside is calculated against the persisted current price $97.27. FMP does not supply a rating on these named-analyst rows.
| Firm | Analyst | 52W target | Price when posted | Upside | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic Equities | Analyst unavailable | $103 | $92.44 | +5.9% | Jul 15, 2026 |
| Jefferies | Suneet Kamath | $103 | $91.15 | +5.9% | Jul 10, 2026 |
| UBS | Michael Ward | $105 | $90.27 | +7.9% | Jul 8, 2026 |
| Barclays | Alex Scott | $94 | $90.46 | -3.4% | Jul 7, 2026 |
| Morgan Stanley | Analyst unavailable | $103 | $90.93 | +5.9% | Jul 6, 2026 |
| Piper Sandler | Analyst unavailable | $90 | $88.03 | -7.5% | Jun 24, 2026 |
| Piper Sandler | Analyst unavailable | $86 | $84.06 | -11.6% | May 26, 2026 |
| Morgan Stanley | Bob Huang | $93 | $83.5 | -4.4% | May 21, 2026 |
| Wells Fargo | Analyst unavailable | $95 | $77.98 | -2.3% | May 12, 2026 |
| Mizuho Securities | Yaron Kinar | $95 | $78.82 | -2.3% | May 8, 2026 |
| Barclays | Alex Scott | $93 | $80.16 | -4.4% | May 7, 2026 |
| Mizuho Securities | Yaron Kinar | $93 | $74.63 | -4.4% | Apr 13, 2026 |
| Evercore ISI | Analyst unavailable | $96 | $74.65 | -1.3% | Apr 9, 2026 |
| UBS | Analyst unavailable | $102 | $74.65 | +4.9% | Apr 9, 2026 |
| Mizuho Securities | Analyst unavailable | $100 | $78.89 | +2.8% | Feb 12, 2026 |
| Evercore ISI | Thomas Gallagher | $95 | $77.92 | -2.3% | Feb 10, 2026 |
| UBS | Analyst unavailable | $98 | $78.01 | +0.8% | Feb 5, 2026 |
| Mizuho Securities | Analyst unavailable | $102 | $77.08 | +4.9% | Jan 14, 2026 |
| Wells Fargo | Elyse Greenspan | $97 | $78.32 | -0.3% | Jan 13, 2026 |
| UBS | Analyst unavailable | $94 | $79.79 | -3.4% | Jan 8, 2026 |
| Barclays | Analyst unavailable | $90 | $79.47 | -7.5% | Jan 8, 2026 |
| Evercore ISI | Analyst unavailable | $97 | $81.77 | -0.3% | Jan 6, 2026 |
| Mizuho Securities | Analyst unavailable | $101 | $82.62 | +3.8% | Dec 15, 2025 |
| Morgan Stanley | Analyst unavailable | $101 | $83.22 | +3.8% | Dec 15, 2025 |
| Barclays | Analyst unavailable | $98 | $82.75 | +0.8% | Oct 8, 2025 |
| Morgan Stanley | Bob Huang | $97 | $82.7 | -0.3% | Oct 7, 2025 |
| Piper Sandler | John Barnidge | $84 | $79.07 | -13.6% | Sep 19, 2025 |
| Wolfe Research | Tracy Benguigui | $95 | $80.46 | -2.3% | Sep 15, 2025 |
| Morgan Stanley | Bob Huang | $98 | $77.74 | +0.8% | Jul 14, 2025 |
| Piper Sandler | John Barnidge | $94 | $82.49 | -3.4% | Apr 2, 2025 |
| Morgan Stanley | Analyst unavailable | $109 | $86.18 | +12.1% | Feb 28, 2025 |
| Piper Sandler | John Barnidge | $92 | $81.78 | -5.4% | Oct 2, 2024 |
| Barclays | Alex Scott | $91 | $77.52 | -6.4% | Sep 4, 2024 |
| Bank of America Securities | Joshua Shanker | $96 | $76.85 | -1.3% | Aug 1, 2024 |
| Morgan Stanley | Bob Huang | $83 | $69.92 | -14.7% | Jul 10, 2024 |
| Argus Research | Kevin Heal | $80 | $73.15 | -17.8% | May 22, 2024 |
| Piper Sandler | John Barnidge | $82 | $70.94 | -15.7% | May 6, 2024 |
| CFRA | Catherine Seifert | $77 | $72.67 | -20.8% | Mar 13, 2024 |
| Goldman Sachs | Alex Scott | $80 | $68.92 | -17.8% | Jan 8, 2024 |
| Mizuho Securities | Brett Linzey | $145 | $63.79 | +49.1% | Sep 14, 2023 |
| Morgan Stanley | Analyst unavailable | $90 | $72.68 | -7.5% | Feb 2, 2023 |
| Morgan Stanley | Analyst unavailable | $88 | $71.35 | -9.5% | Jan 10, 2023 |
| Goldman Sachs | Analyst unavailable | $78 | $73.58 | -19.8% | Jan 9, 2023 |
| J.P. Morgan | Analyst unavailable | $80 | $73.58 | -17.8% | Jan 6, 2023 |
| Jefferies | Analyst unavailable | $82 | $73.61 | -15.7% | Dec 9, 2022 |
| Morgan Stanley | Analyst unavailable | $87 | $74.01 | -10.6% | Nov 17, 2022 |
| Credit Suisse | Analyst unavailable | $77 | $67.39 | -20.8% | Aug 22, 2022 |
| Morgan Stanley | Analyst unavailable | $83 | $67.25 | -14.7% | Aug 17, 2022 |
| Morgan Stanley | Analyst unavailable | $79 | $64.14 | -18.8% | Aug 4, 2022 |
| Barclays | Analyst unavailable | $75 | $57.79 | -22.9% | Jul 14, 2022 |
| Evercore ISI | Analyst unavailable | $80 | $61.4 | -17.8% | Jul 6, 2022 |
| Morgan Stanley | Analyst unavailable | $78 | $61.58 | -19.8% | Jul 6, 2022 |
| Wolfe Research | Charles Lederer | $74 | $61.75 | -23.9% | Jun 22, 2022 |
| Morgan Stanley | Analyst unavailable | $80 | $67.23 | -17.8% | May 5, 2022 |
| Evercore ISI | Thomas Gallagher | $75 | $64.18 | -22.9% | Jan 5, 2022 |
| Goldman Sachs | Alex Scott | $77 | $58.92 | -20.8% | Dec 2, 2021 |
| Credit Suisse | Andrew Kligerman | $68 | $63.12 | -30.1% | May 13, 2021 |
| Argus Research | Kevin Heal | $72 | $65.2 | -26.0% | May 7, 2021 |
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What changed
Adjusted EPS of $2.42 vs. $2.27 consensus (6.6% surprise). Revenue of $19.68B vs. $19.49B estimate (1.0% surprise). Adjusted earnings up 18% YoY to $1.6B. ROE at 17%, top of 15-17% target. Asia sales: Japan +26%, Korea +44%. MetLife Investment Management earnings up 68% post-PineBridge. $750M share repurchases and $370M dividends in quarter. 4.4% dividend increase. $3.9B cash buffer. $1B subordinated debt issuance oversubscribed 5x. Divestiture of Ukraine business completed.
Guidance delta
Management maintained all prior guidance. The New Frontier Year 2 targets were reiterated: double-digit adjusted EPS growth, ROE of 15-17%, and disciplined expense-ratio progression. No upward or downward revision was announced. Guidance sentiment was maintained with a confident management tone and a bullish score of 85.
Key takeaways
- Adjusted EPS of $2.42 beat consensus by 6.6% as earnings rose 18% YoY to $1.6 billion.
- Asia was the standout: Japan sales up 26% and Korea sales up 44%, driven by new product launches.
- MetLife Investment Management earnings jumped 68% following the PineBridge acquisition integration.
- ROE reached 17%, at the top of the 15-17% target range.
- Shareholder returns totaled $1.1 billion, including $750M in buybacks and a 4.4% dividend increase.
Management priorities
- Accelerate New Frontier strategy in Year 2 with focus on operational efficiency and cost discipline
- Embed AI across operations, supported by a $3.2 billion investment program to modernize processes
- Expand product offerings in Asia, leveraging recent corporate accident and health success
- Grow non-U.S. asset management flows through PineBridge's international distribution network
- Maintain disciplined capital allocation with potential additional share repurchases and dividend growth
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Methodology
Reported and consensus figures come from FN2's earnings event records. Market reaction and volume are calculated from daily adjusted bars around the event; abnormal move subtracts the SPY move over the same window.
Analyst target low, average, and high values are derived at request time from each named analyst's latest persisted FMP target. The current-price marker comes from FN2's persisted market snapshot. They are sell-side estimates, not an FN2 valuation or recommendation.
Transcript intelligence is a structured synthesis of the current and prior earnings-call analyses. Missing values stay missing and are never estimated.
By FN2 Research · Updated . For educational purposes only; not investment advice.