Brokerages Set Brighthouse Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:BHF) Target Price at $51.14

Shares of Brighthouse Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:BHF) have earned a consensus rating of “Reduce” from the seven analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and four have issued a hold rating on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $51.14.

A number of research firms recently weighed in on BHF. Morgan Stanley cut Brighthouse Financial from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and set a $52.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Friday, February 23rd. Piper Sandler increased their price target on Brighthouse Financial from $48.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Brighthouse Financial from $49.00 to $51.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and set a $50.00 target price on shares of Brighthouse Financial in a research report on Friday, February 16th.

Brighthouse Financial Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ BHF opened at $48.73 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.63 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The business has a 50-day moving average of $48.33 and a two-hundred day moving average of $49.78. Brighthouse Financial has a 1 year low of $39.24 and a 1 year high of $56.24.

Brighthouse Financial (NASDAQ:BHF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $2.92 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.83 by ($0.91). The company had revenue of $1.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.13 billion. Brighthouse Financial had a negative net margin of 27.01% and a positive return on equity of 20.71%. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.51 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Brighthouse Financial will post 17.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Brighthouse Financial

In related news, CEO Eric T. Steigerwalt sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.96, for a total value of $1,174,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 390,765 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,350,324.40. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Eric T. Steigerwalt sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.96, for a total transaction of $1,174,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 390,765 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,350,324.40. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Vonda Huss sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.85, for a total transaction of $468,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 27,080 shares in the company, valued at $1,268,698. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Brighthouse Financial

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Lindbrook Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Brighthouse Financial by 412.3% during the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 543 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 437 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Brighthouse Financial by 123.2% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 732 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 404 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new stake in shares of Brighthouse Financial during the 4th quarter worth about $60,000. Quadrant Capital Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Brighthouse Financial by 36.1% during the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 1,143 shares of the company’s stock worth $60,000 after buying an additional 303 shares during the period. Finally, Quent Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Brighthouse Financial by 23.0% during the 4th quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 2,046 shares of the company’s stock worth $108,000 after buying an additional 382 shares during the period. 81.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Brighthouse Financial Company 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.