Marshall Wace LLP Sells 77,418 Shares of Brighthouse Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:BHF)

Marshall Wace LLP reduced its position in Brighthouse Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:BHF - Free Report) by 27.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 199,850 shares of the company's stock after selling 77,418 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP owned approximately 0.34% of Brighthouse Financial worth $9,601,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd grew its position in shares of Brighthouse Financial by 327.0% during the 4th quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 918 shares of the company's stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 703 shares during the period. KBC Group NV lifted its holdings in shares of Brighthouse Financial by 33.1% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,664 shares of the company's stock worth $128,000 after buying an additional 663 shares in the last quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC bought a new position in Brighthouse Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $227,000. Polymer Capital Management US LLC purchased a new position in Brighthouse Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $233,000. Finally, Lecap Asset Management Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Brighthouse Financial by 9.1% during the fourth quarter. Lecap Asset Management Ltd. now owns 5,234 shares of the company's stock worth $251,000 after purchasing an additional 436 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.24% of the company's stock.

Brighthouse Financial Price Performance

BHF traded up $0.81 during trading on Friday, hitting $54.67. 621,523 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 540,915. The company has a market cap of $3.17 billion, a PE ratio of 10.59 and a beta of 0.91. Brighthouse Financial, Inc. has a 1 year low of $40.00 and a 1 year high of $64.12. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $54.92 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $52.42.

Brighthouse Financial (NASDAQ:BHF - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $5.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that Brighthouse Financial, Inc. will post 20.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BHF has been the subject of several recent research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of Brighthouse Financial from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Brighthouse Financial from $52.00 to $41.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered Brighthouse Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $64.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group set a $72.00 price objective on Brighthouse Financial in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut 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. Two 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $62.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Brighthouse Financial

In other news, EVP John Rosenthal sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $61.00, for a total transaction of $610,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 66,262 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,041,982. The trade was a 13.11 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

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.