Brighthouse Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:BHF) Given Average Rating of “Reduce” by Brokerages

Brighthouse Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:BHF) has earned a consensus rating of “Reduce” from the eight ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $50.63.

Several brokerages have issued reports on BHF. Barclays started coverage on shares of Brighthouse Financial in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $48.00 price objective for the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on Brighthouse Financial from $47.00 to $43.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on Brighthouse Financial from $56.00 to $52.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on shares of Brighthouse Financial from $44.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Brighthouse Financial from $40.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Brighthouse Financial news, EVP John Rosenthal sold 4,265 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.04, for a total value of $196,360.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 86,262 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,971,502.48. This trade represents a 4.71 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Brighthouse Financial

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of BHF. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. grew its stake in shares of Brighthouse Financial by 75.9% in the second quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 623,607 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,027,000 after acquiring an additional 269,062 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Brighthouse Financial by 21.9% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,273,882 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,210,000 after buying an additional 228,814 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC grew its position in shares of Brighthouse Financial by 278.0% during the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 280,270 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,147,000 after buying an additional 206,116 shares in the last quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Brighthouse Financial by 3,362.1% during the second quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 158,149 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,854,000 after buying an additional 153,581 shares during the period. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. raised its holdings in Brighthouse Financial by 139.8% in the second quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 247,210 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,714,000 after acquiring an additional 144,102 shares in the last quarter. 81.24% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Brighthouse Financial Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:BHF opened at $52.38 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $48.29 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $45.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.92. The company has a market capitalization of $3.11 billion, a P/E ratio of -2.58 and a beta of 1.05. Brighthouse Financial has a 1-year low of $40.00 and a 1-year high of $56.24.

Brighthouse Financial (NASDAQ:BHF) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $3.99 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.50 by ($0.51). Brighthouse Financial had a positive return on equity of 23.54% and a negative net margin of 24.40%. The company had revenue of $2.02 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.21 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $4.18 EPS. Research analysts expect that Brighthouse Financial will post 18.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Brighthouse Financial Company Profile

Brighthouse Financial, Inc provides annuity and life insurance products in the United States. It operates through three segments: Annuities, Life, and Run-off. The Annuities segment consists of variable, fixed, index-linked, and income annuities for contract holders’ needs for protected wealth accumulation on a tax-deferred basis, wealth transfer, and income security.