Brighthouse Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:BHF) Position Lowered by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. decreased its position in shares of Brighthouse Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:BHF - Free Report) by 3.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 136,167 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,701 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.23% of Brighthouse Financial worth $6,541,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of Brighthouse Financial by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,314,905 shares of the company's stock worth $104,240,000 after acquiring an additional 50,441 shares in the last quarter. Institute for Wealth Management LLC. acquired a new position in Brighthouse Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $287,000. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Brighthouse Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $312,000. Range Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Brighthouse Financial during the 4th quarter worth $826,000. Finally, GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Brighthouse Financial during the third quarter worth $1,311,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.24% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on BHF. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Brighthouse Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $64.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of Brighthouse Financial from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Barclays raised Brighthouse Financial from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $52.00 to $85.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on Brighthouse Financial from $52.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Brighthouse Financial from $59.00 to $56.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Brighthouse Financial currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $63.14.

Brighthouse Financial Stock Up 2.5 %

Shares of BHF traded up $1.39 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $56.35. 1,351,720 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 793,362. Brighthouse Financial, Inc. has a 1-year low of $40.00 and a 1-year high of $64.12. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $54.57 and a 200-day moving average price of $49.85. 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 company has a market cap of $3.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.92 and a beta of 1.10.

Brighthouse Financial (NASDAQ:BHF - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $5.88 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.56 by $1.32. Brighthouse Financial had a return on equity of 26.94% and a net margin of 8.21%. Research analysts expect that Brighthouse Financial, Inc. will post 20.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Brighthouse Financial news, EVP John Rosenthal sold 10,000 shares of the firm'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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 66,262 shares in the company, valued at $4,041,982. This trade represents a 13.11 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.