Brighthouse Financial, Inc. (BHF) - What Are Analysts Thinking About This Stock?

Key Points

• Analysts remain neutral on Brighthouse Financial: All seven covering analysts rate the stock “Hold,” with an average 12-month price target of $61.25. Recent actions included JPMorgan and Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowering their targets to $55.
• The stock has weakened significantly: Brighthouse opened at $43.55, near its 52-week low of $41.98, and below its 50-day and 200-day moving averages of $49.63 and $58.97, respectively.
• Latest results fell short of expectations: The company reported quarterly EPS of $4.45 versus the $4.86 consensus and revenue of $1.62 billion versus estimates of $2.18 billion, although institutional investors own 81.24% of the shares.

Shares of Brighthouse Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:BHF - Get Free Report) have received a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the seven analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $61.25.

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Brighthouse Financial from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Brighthouse Financial from an "underweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their price target for the company from $63.00 to $55.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped 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 research note on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Brighthouse Financial to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, July 12th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Quantinno Capital Management LP raised its position in shares of Brighthouse Financial by 34.7% during the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 186,971 shares of the company's stock worth $11,196,000 after acquiring an additional 48,174 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in Brighthouse Financial in the second quarter valued at approximately $341,422,000. Maven Securities LTD acquired a new position in Brighthouse Financial in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,914,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in Brighthouse Financial in the second quarter valued at approximately $7,917,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in Brighthouse Financial in the second quarter valued at approximately $20,887,000. 81.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Brighthouse Financial Stock Performance

NASDAQ:BHF opened at $43.55 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 0.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.48, a PEG ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $49.63 and a 200 day moving average price of $58.97. Brighthouse Financial has a fifty-two week low of $41.98 and a fifty-two week high of $66.80.

Brighthouse Financial (NASDAQ:BHF - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $4.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.86 by ($0.41). Brighthouse Financial had a return on equity of 17.24% and a net margin of 12.49%. The firm had revenue of $1.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.18 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.43 EPS. Brighthouse Financial's revenue was down 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Brighthouse Financial will post 18.84 EPS for the current year.

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.

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