Russell Investments Group Ltd. Has $7.43 Million Stock Holdings in Brighthouse Financial, Inc. $BHF

Key Points

• Russell Investments Group Ltd. has reduced its stake in Brighthouse Financial by 17.8% after selling 27,681 shares, now holding 0.22% of the company worth approximately $7.43 million.
• During the same period, several hedge funds such as Versant Capital Management and UMB Bank significantly increased their stakes in Brighthouse Financial, indicating a mixed sentiment among institutional investors.
• Brighthouse Financial reported earnings per share of $3.43, missing the consensus estimate of $4.70, with revenues declining 2.8% year-over-year.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. trimmed its position in Brighthouse Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:BHF - Free Report) by 17.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 128,108 shares of the company's stock after selling 27,681 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned 0.22% of Brighthouse Financial worth $7,429,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of Brighthouse Financial by 188.0% during the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 622 shares of the company's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 406 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in Brighthouse Financial by 101.7% during the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,200 shares of the company's stock valued at $70,000 after purchasing an additional 605 shares in the last quarter. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH acquired a new stake in Brighthouse Financial during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $94,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Brighthouse Financial by 11.0% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,035 shares of the company's stock valued at $118,000 after purchasing an additional 202 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Signaturefd LLC grew its stake in Brighthouse Financial by 15.0% during the 1st quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 3,138 shares of the company's stock valued at $182,000 after purchasing an additional 410 shares in the last quarter. 81.24% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Brighthouse Financial Stock Performance

NASDAQ:BHF traded up $0.67 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $47.09. 448,155 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 747,843. Brighthouse Financial, Inc. has a twelve month low of $40.00 and a twelve month high of $64.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.10 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.93. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $50.42 and a 200 day moving average price of $54.62.

Brighthouse Financial (NASDAQ:BHF - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $3.43 earnings per share (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 company had revenue of $2.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.21 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $5.57 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Brighthouse Financial, Inc. will post 20.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on BHF shares. Barclays lowered their price objective on Brighthouse Financial from $70.00 to $65.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective on Brighthouse Financial from $57.00 to $50.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Brighthouse Financial from $53.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Brighthouse Financial from $45.00 to $42.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Brighthouse Financial from $56.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $59.67.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Brighthouse Financial news, EVP Vonda Huss sold 3,000 shares of Brighthouse Financial stock in a transaction on Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.51, for a total transaction of $178,530.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 18,441 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,097,423.91. The trade was a 13.99% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Brighthouse Financial Profile

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.