Bridgewater Associates LP Raises Stock Position in Brighthouse Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:BHF)

Bridgewater Associates LP lifted its holdings in Brighthouse Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:BHF - Free Report) by 198.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 209,523 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 139,356 shares during the quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP owned 0.35% of Brighthouse Financial worth $10,065,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of BHF. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd grew its holdings in Brighthouse Financial by 327.0% during the fourth quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 918 shares of the company's stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 703 shares during the period. KBC Group NV lifted its holdings in Brighthouse Financial by 33.1% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,664 shares of the company's stock worth $128,000 after purchasing an additional 663 shares during the last quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC bought a new position in Brighthouse Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $227,000. Polymer Capital Management US LLC bought a new stake in Brighthouse Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $233,000. Finally, Lecap Asset Management Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Brighthouse Financial by 9.1% in the 4th quarter. Lecap Asset Management Ltd. now owns 5,234 shares of the company's stock valued at $251,000 after purchasing an additional 436 shares during the last quarter. 81.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Brighthouse Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ BHF traded up $2.07 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $50.86. The company's stock had a trading volume of 104,877 shares, compared to its average volume of 535,484. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $55.58 and a 200-day moving average price of $52.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.85 and a beta of 0.91. Brighthouse Financial, Inc. has a 12-month low of $40.00 and a 12-month high of $64.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.92.

Brighthouse Financial (NASDAQ:BHF - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $5.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.56 by $1.32. Brighthouse Financial had a net margin of 8.21% and a return on equity of 26.94%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Brighthouse Financial, Inc. will post 20.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Brighthouse Financial

In related news, EVP John Rosenthal sold 10,000 shares of Brighthouse Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $61.00, for a total value of $610,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 66,262 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,041,982. The trade was a 13.11 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BHF has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Brighthouse Financial from $52.00 to $41.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on Brighthouse Financial from $52.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Raymond James upgraded Brighthouse Financial from a "market perform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $72.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Brighthouse Financial from $59.00 to $52.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Barclays raised Brighthouse Financial from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $52.00 to $85.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $62.00.

Brighthouse Financial 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.