MetLife, Inc. vs PRUDENTIAL PLC, two Insurance stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Both are life insurers, earning on investment spread over decades rather than on loss ratios. Prudential plc runs the more profitable book by these figures: a 19.28% return on equity and a 35.85% net margin against MetLife's 13.11% and 4.66%. That shows up in price. The Asian insurer trades at 3.21 times book and 17.26 times earnings while MetLife sits at 2.04 times book and 16.62 times earnings. The two are close in size, $68.7B for Prudential plc against $56.4B for MetLife. MetLife returns cash through a 2.62% dividend; Prudential plc's yield does not appear in these numbers. The margin gap is the number that stands out.
Comparison updated 2026-07-11.
| Metric | MET | PUK |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $91.65 | $28.13 |
| Market cap | $60.1B | $72.6B |
| Sector | Financial Services | Financial Services |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| P/E | 17.7 | 18.2 |
| P/B | 2.18 | 3.40 |
| P/S | 0.77 | 6.32 |
| EV/EBITDA | 5.8 | 16.7 |
| Revenue growth | +5.4% | -10.1% |
| Operating margin | 8.6% | 28.8% |
| Net margin | 4.7% | 35.9% |
| Return on equity | 13.1% | 19.3% |
| Return on assets | 0.5% | 1.9% |
| Dividend yield | 2.5% | — |
| Debt / equity | 0.01 | 0.00 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 8 / 9 | 6 / 9 |
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The stronger value is highlighted per metric where one is strictly better on that single number; it is not an overall verdict on either company. For informational and research purposes only. Not investment advice. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. boothcheck is not a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.