Brighthouse Financial (NASDAQ:BHF) Stock Rating Upgraded by Zacks Research

Brighthouse Financial (NASDAQ:BHF) was upgraded by stock analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on BHF. Raymond James Financial reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Brighthouse Financial in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. Morgan Stanley set a $70.00 price target on shares of Brighthouse Financial in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on shares of Brighthouse Financial from $50.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Brighthouse Financial in a report on Monday. Finally, Piper Sandler reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $53.00 target price on shares of Brighthouse Financial in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $63.70.

Brighthouse Financial Stock Performance

Shares of BHF stock opened at $64.98 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 0.95. The firm has a market cap of $3.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.43 and a beta of 0.97. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $59.05 and its 200-day moving average price is $53.71. Brighthouse Financial has a one year low of $42.07 and a one year high of $66.33.

Brighthouse Financial (NASDAQ:BHF) last announced its earnings results on Friday, November 7th. The company reported $4.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.09 by ($0.55). Brighthouse Financial had a net margin of 15.39% and a return on equity of 20.59%. The firm had revenue of $2.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.26 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.99 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Brighthouse Financial will post 20.32 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Brighthouse Financial

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Brighthouse Financial by 66.5% during the 2nd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 566 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 226 shares in the last quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Brighthouse Financial by 540.4% during the 3rd quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 634 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 535 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in shares of Brighthouse Financial by 225.5% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 664 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 460 shares in the last quarter. Danske Bank A S acquired a new position in shares of Brighthouse Financial during the third quarter worth $37,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc increased its holdings in Brighthouse Financial by 1,900.0% in the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 740 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 703 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.24% of the company’s stock.

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.