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

Brighthouse Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:BHF) has been given an average rating of “Reduce” by the eleven analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $63.70.

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on BHF shares. Piper Sandler restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $53.00 price target on shares of Brighthouse Financial in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Brighthouse Financial in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of Brighthouse Financial from $50.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Brighthouse Financial from $52.00 to $53.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Brighthouse Financial from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 17th.

Brighthouse Financial Price Performance

Shares of BHF opened at $65.05 on Wednesday. Brighthouse Financial has a 52 week low of $42.07 and a 52 week high of $66.33. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The firm has a market cap of $3.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.44 and a beta of 0.97. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $63.65 and a 200-day moving average of $54.23.

Brighthouse Financial (NASDAQ:BHF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 7th. The company reported $4.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.09 by ($0.55). The firm had revenue of $2.17 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.26 billion. Brighthouse Financial had a return on equity of 20.59% and a net margin of 15.39%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.99 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Brighthouse Financial will post 20.32 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Brighthouse Financial

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BHF. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Brighthouse Financial by 66.5% during the 2nd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 566 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 226 shares during the period. Clearstead Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Brighthouse Financial by 540.4% in the 3rd quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 634 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 535 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Brighthouse Financial by 225.5% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 664 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 460 shares in the last quarter. Danske Bank A S acquired a new position in shares of Brighthouse Financial during the third quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc increased its stake in shares of Brighthouse Financial by 1,900.0% during the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 740 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 703 shares during the period. 81.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Brighthouse Financial Company Profile

Brighthouse Financial, Inc is a U.S.-based life insurance company that specializes in retirement income solutions and annuity products. The firm was established in August 2017 as a spin-off from MetLife, Inc, and is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. Since its separation, Brighthouse Financial has focused on providing products designed to help individuals and families manage retirement income needs, drawing on decades of experience in life insurance and annuity administration inherited from its parent company.

The company’s core product offerings include fixed indexed annuities, which allow policyholders to participate in market-linked gains while protecting against downside market risk, and single premium immediate annuities, which provide guaranteed lifetime income.