Brighthouse Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:BHF) Receives Average Recommendation of "Hold" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Brighthouse Financial, Inc. has received an average recommendation of "Hold" from eight brokerages, with ratings varying from sell to strong buy.
• Despite a recent earnings report that showed a significant miss, with EPS at $3.43 compared to an expected $4.70, the company reported revenue of $2.15 billion.
• Hedge funds collectively own 81.24% of Brighthouse Financial's shares, indicating strong institutional interest in the stock.

Brighthouse Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:BHF - Get Free Report) has received an average recommendation of "Hold" from the eight brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $59.6667.

BHF has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Brighthouse Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, June 21st. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Brighthouse Financial from $45.00 to $42.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Brighthouse Financial from $53.00 to $54.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Piper Sandler dropped their target price on shares of Brighthouse Financial from $63.00 to $55.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 3rd. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Brighthouse Financial from $70.00 to $65.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 8th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC purchased a new position in shares of Brighthouse Financial in the 2nd quarter valued at $406,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in Brighthouse Financial by 7.9% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 195,895 shares of the company's stock worth $9,411,000 after purchasing an additional 14,316 shares during the last quarter. Kawa Capital Management Inc purchased a new position in Brighthouse Financial during the 2nd quarter worth $8,066,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Brighthouse Financial by 11.0% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,035 shares of the company's stock worth $118,000 after acquiring an additional 202 shares during the period. Finally, Teacher Retirement System of Texas acquired a new stake in shares of Brighthouse Financial in the 1st quarter worth $780,000. 81.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Brighthouse Financial Trading Up 1.5%

Shares of NASDAQ:BHF opened at $55.74 on Monday. Brighthouse Financial has a 52 week low of $42.07 and a 52 week high of $64.12. The company's 50 day moving average is $47.97 and its two-hundred day moving average is $52.90. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The company has a market cap of $3.19 billion, a PE ratio of 6.03 and a beta of 0.87.

Brighthouse Financial (NASDAQ:BHF - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $3.43 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.70 by ($1.27). Brighthouse Financial had a net margin of 10.24% and a return on equity of 21.06%. The firm had revenue of $2.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.21 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $5.57 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Brighthouse Financial will post 20.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Brighthouse Financial

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.

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