Why MetLife (MET) is a Great Dividend Stock Right Now

Company Overview - MetLife (MET) is based in New York and operates in the Finance sector, with a year-to-date share price change of 10.77% [2] - The company currently pays a dividend of $0.55 per share, resulting in a dividend yield of 2.98%, which is higher than the Insurance - Multi line industry's yield of 1.99% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.58% [2] Dividend Performance - MetLife's current annualized dividend of $2.18 represents a 5.8% increase from the previous year [2] - Over the past five years, MetLife has increased its dividend five times, achieving an average annual increase of 4.31% [2] - The company's current payout ratio is 27%, indicating that it paid out 27% of its trailing 12-month earnings per share as dividends [2] Earnings Growth - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for MetLife's earnings in 2024 is $8.72 per share, reflecting an expected increase of 18.96% from the previous year [3] Investment Considerations - MetLife is considered a compelling investment opportunity due to its strong dividend performance and current Zacks Rank of 3 (Hold) [4]