Higher Private Equity Returns Help Fuel MetLife Profit Jump (1)

MetLife Inc.’s fourth-quarter earnings beat analysts’ expectations, with higher private equity returns propelling a jump in the insurer’s investment income.

Adjusted earnings per share rose 19% from a year earlier to $2.49, the New York-based insurer said Wednesday in a statement, beating the $2.34 average estimate of analysts, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Shares of MetLife fell 0.3% to $77.74 at 10:43 a.m. in New York on Thursday.

“Our private equity portfolio returned 2.8% in the quarter, and we also saw a modest rebound in returns on our real estate and other funds as well,” Chief Executive Officer ...