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

Shares of Brighthouse Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:BHF) have earned an average recommendation of “Reduce” from the eight analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have issued a hold recommendation and one has issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $50.63.

BHF has been the topic of a number of research reports. 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 report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective 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. Barclays began coverage on shares of Brighthouse Financial in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $48.00 price objective on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective on shares of Brighthouse Financial from $47.00 to $43.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Brighthouse Financial from $59.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 29th.

Brighthouse Financial Stock Down 0.5 %

Brighthouse Financial stock opened at $51.09 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. Brighthouse Financial has a 12-month low of $40.00 and a 12-month high of $56.24. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $46.35 and its 200 day moving average is $45.51. The company has a market capitalization of $3.03 billion, a PE ratio of -2.51 and a beta of 1.05.

Brighthouse Financial (NASDAQ:BHF) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $3.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.50 by ($0.51). Brighthouse Financial had a negative net margin of 24.40% and a positive return on equity of 23.54%. The company had revenue of $2.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.21 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $4.18 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Brighthouse Financial will post 18.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP John Rosenthal sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.22, for a total value of $226,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 91,262 shares in the company, valued at $4,126,867.64. This represents a 5.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Eric T. Steigerwalt sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.67, for a total transaction of $1,141,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 321,072 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,663,358.24. This represents a 7.22 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 34,265 shares of company stock worth $1,564,211 over the last quarter. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Brighthouse Financial

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vinva Investment Management Ltd bought a new position in Brighthouse Financial during the third quarter valued at about $361,000. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund bought a new position in Brighthouse Financial during the third quarter valued at about $1,404,000. Bridgewater Associates LP grew its position in Brighthouse Financial by 55.1% during the third quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 70,167 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,160,000 after buying an additional 24,914 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in Brighthouse Financial by 310.2% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 27,543 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,240,000 after buying an additional 20,829 shares during the period. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP grew its position in Brighthouse Financial by 34.8% during the third quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 53,149 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,393,000 after buying an additional 13,708 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.24% of the company’s stock.

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.