Brighthouse Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:BHF) Stake Cut by Jefferies Financial Group Inc.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. lowered its position in shares of Brighthouse Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:BHF - Free Report) by 5.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 131,902 shares of the company's stock after selling 8,149 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.22% of Brighthouse Financial worth $6,337,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board boosted its stake in shares of Brighthouse Financial by 187.3% during the fourth quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 1,823,162 shares of the company's stock worth $87,585,000 after buying an additional 1,188,685 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Brighthouse Financial by 12.1% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,682,076 shares of the company's stock worth $80,807,000 after acquiring an additional 181,980 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Brighthouse Financial by 2,632.8% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 884,162 shares of the company's stock valued at $42,475,000 after acquiring an additional 851,808 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Brighthouse Financial during the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,131,000. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Brighthouse Financial by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 732,689 shares of the company's stock worth $35,198,000 after acquiring an additional 24,662 shares during the last quarter. 81.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Brighthouse Financial Stock Up 1.0%

Shares of NASDAQ:BHF traded up $0.62 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $59.72. 1,224,351 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 581,694. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $55.67 and its 200 day simple moving average is $54.14. The firm has a market cap of $3.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.57 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 0.93. Brighthouse Financial, Inc. has a 52-week low of $40.00 and a 52-week high of $64.12.

Brighthouse Financial (NASDAQ:BHF - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $4.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.72 by ($0.55). The business had revenue of $2.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.29 billion. Brighthouse Financial had a net margin of 8.21% and a return on equity of 26.94%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $4.25 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Brighthouse Financial, Inc. will post 20.32 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on BHF. Piper Sandler raised their price target on shares of Brighthouse Financial from $52.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Raymond James raised shares of Brighthouse Financial from a "market perform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $72.00 target price for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Barclays increased their price target on Brighthouse Financial from $75.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Brighthouse Financial from $41.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered Brighthouse Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $64.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $60.80.

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.