Royce & Associates LP Has $4.68 Million Holdings in Brighthouse Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:BHF)

Royce & Associates LP cut its stake in Brighthouse Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:BHF) by 25.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 97,360 shares of the company’s stock after selling 34,050 shares during the period. Royce & Associates LP owned approximately 0.16% of Brighthouse Financial worth $4,677,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BHF. KBC Group NV boosted its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 464 shares during the period. Lecap Asset Management Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Brighthouse Financial by 9.1% during the 4th quarter. Lecap Asset Management Ltd. now owns 5,234 shares of the company’s stock worth $251,000 after buying an additional 436 shares during the last quarter. Institute for Wealth Management LLC. acquired a new position in shares of Brighthouse Financial during the 4th quarter worth about $287,000. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Brighthouse Financial during the 4th quarter worth about $312,000. Finally, Vinva Investment Management Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Brighthouse Financial during the 3rd quarter worth about $361,000. 81.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Brighthouse Financial Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of BHF stock opened at $58.08 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $56.07 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $50.59. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The company has a market capitalization of $3.37 billion, a PE ratio of 11.26 and a beta of 1.11. Brighthouse Financial, Inc. has a 12-month low of $40.00 and a 12-month high of $64.12.

Brighthouse Financial (NASDAQ:BHF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $5.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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, analysts predict that Brighthouse Financial, Inc. will post 20.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other 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 sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 1.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BHF has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on shares of Brighthouse Financial from $52.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Raymond James upgraded shares of 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 note on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Brighthouse Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $64.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on Brighthouse Financial from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $52.00 price target on Brighthouse Financial in a report on Friday, February 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $63.80.

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.