Brighthouse Financial (NASDAQ:BHF) Stock Gets Downgrade from Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded Brighthouse Financial from “hold” to “sell.” Other analysts are more neutral: seven rate the stock “hold,” with an average price target of $58.33.
• Brighthouse shares opened at $42.60, near their one-year low of $41.01; the stock’s 50-day and 200-day moving averages were $48.80 and $58.53, respectively.
• In its latest reported quarter, Brighthouse posted EPS of $4.45, below the $4.86 consensus, and revenue of $1.62 billion versus estimates of $2.18 billion.

Brighthouse Financial (NASDAQ:BHF - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report released on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

A number of other research firms also recently issued reports on BHF. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price on shares of Brighthouse Financial from $57.00 to $55.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Brighthouse Financial from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Brighthouse Financial from an "underweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $63.00 to $55.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $58.33.

Brighthouse Financial Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:BHF opened at $42.60 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 0.96. Brighthouse Financial has a one year low of $41.01 and a one year high of $66.80. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $48.80 and a 200-day simple moving average of $58.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.32, a PEG ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 0.81.

Brighthouse Financial (NASDAQ:BHF - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $4.45 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.86 by ($0.41). Brighthouse Financial had a net margin of 12.49% and a return on equity of 17.24%. The company had revenue of $1.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.18 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.43 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Brighthouse Financial will post 18.84 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Brighthouse Financial

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. bought a new stake in shares of Brighthouse Financial during the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Brighthouse Financial by 390.3% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 505 shares of the company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 402 shares in the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. grew its holdings in shares of Brighthouse Financial by 8,900.0% during the third quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 630 shares of the company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 623 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP purchased a new stake in shares of Brighthouse Financial during the 2nd quarter worth $49,000. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Brighthouse Financial in the second quarter valued at $55,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.24% of the company's stock.

About Brighthouse Financial

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.