Brighthouse Financial (NASDAQ:BHF) Rating Lowered to "Strong Sell" at Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research downgraded Brighthouse Financial (BHF) from a "hold" to a "strong sell" in a report issued Monday.
• Analyst coverage is mixed—MarketBeat shows eight Holds and three Sells, giving a consensus rating of "Reduce" with an average price target of $60.86.
• BHF shares opened at $59.88, with a $3.42 billion market cap and a P/E of 10.32, and roughly 81% of the stock is held by institutional investors.

Brighthouse Financial (NASDAQ:BHF - Get Free Report) was downgraded by Zacks Research from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Brighthouse Financial in a report on Monday, December 29th. Barclays cut shares of Brighthouse Financial from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and set a $65.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Argus upgraded shares of Brighthouse Financial to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, March 26th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a "hold" rating and set a $67.00 target price on shares of Brighthouse Financial in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $60.86.

Brighthouse Financial Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of BHF stock opened at $59.88 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $61.97 and a 200 day simple moving average of $59.97. Brighthouse Financial has a fifty-two week low of $42.07 and a fifty-two week high of $66.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.32 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Brighthouse Financial

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV increased its stake in Brighthouse Financial by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 27,346 shares of the company's stock worth $1,772,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Waterfront Wealth Inc. lifted its stake in Brighthouse Financial by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Waterfront Wealth Inc. now owns 35,055 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,255,000 after buying an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. Four Tree Island Advisory LLC lifted its stake in Brighthouse Financial by 1.8% during the second quarter. Four Tree Island Advisory LLC now owns 12,262 shares of the company's stock valued at $659,000 after buying an additional 214 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Brighthouse Financial by 66.5% in the second quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 566 shares of the company's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 226 shares during the period. Finally, J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Brighthouse Financial by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 32,275 shares of the company's stock worth $2,090,000 after buying an additional 273 shares during the period. 81.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Brighthouse Financial

Brighthouse Financial, Inc is a U.S.-based life insurance company that specializes in retirement income solutions and annuity products. The firm was established in August 2017 as a spin-off from MetLife, Inc, and is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. Since its separation, Brighthouse Financial has focused on providing products designed to help individuals and families manage retirement income needs, drawing on decades of experience in life insurance and annuity administration inherited from its parent company.

The company's core product offerings include fixed indexed annuities, which allow policyholders to participate in market-linked gains while protecting against downside market risk, and single premium immediate annuities, which provide guaranteed lifetime income.

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