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

Shares of Brighthouse Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:BHF - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus rating of "Reduce" from the eight ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have issued a hold recommendation and one has given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $50.63.

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

Insider Transactions at Brighthouse Financial

In other news, CEO Eric T. Steigerwalt sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.67, for a total value of $1,141,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 321,072 shares in the company, valued at $14,663,358.24. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, CFO Edward A. Spehar sold 7,125 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.74, for a total transaction of $297,397.50. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 37,640 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,571,093.60. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Eric T. Steigerwalt sold 25,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.67, for a total value of $1,141,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 321,072 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,663,358.24. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 41,390 shares of company stock worth $1,861,608 over the last quarter. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Brighthouse Financial

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of BHF. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Brighthouse Financial by 989.5% in the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 621 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 564 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in shares of Brighthouse Financial by 974.1% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 623 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 565 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC raised its holdings in Brighthouse Financial by 29.4% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,491 shares of the company's stock valued at $67,000 after acquiring an additional 339 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Brighthouse Financial by 97.8% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,729 shares of the company's stock valued at $78,000 after purchasing an additional 855 shares during the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV increased its stake in shares of Brighthouse Financial by 30.2% in the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,001 shares of the company's stock worth $90,000 after acquiring an additional 464 shares during the last quarter. 81.24% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Brighthouse Financial Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of BHF traded down $0.32 on Friday, hitting $50.77. 295,145 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 427,656. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.08 billion, a P/E ratio of -3.21 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. Brighthouse Financial has a 1 year low of $40.00 and a 1 year high of $56.24. The stock's 50 day moving average is $45.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $45.44.

Brighthouse Financial (NASDAQ:BHF - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The company reported $5.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.36 by $1.21. Brighthouse Financial had a negative net margin of 22.03% and a positive return on equity of 26.22%. The firm had revenue of $2.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.21 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $4.13 earnings per share. Brighthouse Financial's revenue was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Brighthouse Financial will post 18.64 earnings per share for the current year.

About Brighthouse Financial

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.