Brighthouse Financial (NASDAQ:BHF) Reaches New 1-Year Low – Here’s Why

Brighthouse Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:BHF)’s share price hit a new 52-week low during trading on Wednesday. The company traded as low as $43.86 and last traded at $44.06, with a volume of 286,286 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $44.73.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Brighthouse Financial to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, July 12th. Weiss Ratings lowered Brighthouse Financial from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Brighthouse Financial from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $63.00 to $55.00 in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on shares of Brighthouse Financial from $57.00 to $55.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating. According to MarketBeat.com, Brighthouse Financial has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $61.25.

Brighthouse Financial Stock Performance

The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $49.99 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $59.17. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.51 billion, a PE ratio of 3.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 0.83.

Brighthouse Financial (NASDAQ:BHF) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $4.45 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.86 by ($0.41). The firm had revenue of $1.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.18 billion. Brighthouse Financial had a net margin of 12.49% and a return on equity of 17.24%. Brighthouse Financial’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.43 EPS. Research analysts expect that Brighthouse Financial, Inc. will post 18.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Brighthouse Financial

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of BHF. Verde Servicos Internacionais S.A. purchased a new position in Brighthouse Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at $349,000. Quadrant Capital Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Brighthouse Financial by 104.5% in the third quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 12,696 shares of the company’s stock valued at $608,000 after buying an additional 6,488 shares in the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. grew its position in Brighthouse Financial by 8,900.0% in the third quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 630 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 623 shares in the last quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Brighthouse Financial during the third quarter worth about $235,000. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Brighthouse Financial by 15.5% in the second quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,967 shares of the company’s stock worth $251,000 after buying an additional 532 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 (NASDAQ:BHF) is a U.S.-focused provider of annuities and life insurance products. The company serves individuals and institutions seeking solutions for retirement income, wealth preservation, protection and legacy planning.

Its annuity offerings include fixed, variable, income and registered index-linked annuities, including the Brighthouse Shield line of products. Brighthouse also provides life insurance products designed to offer death-benefit protection and, depending on the policy, cash-value accumulation and other financial-planning features.

Brighthouse Financial was established as an independent public company in 2017 after being separated from MetLife.