Russell Investments Group Ltd. Has $7.43 Million Position 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. lowered its position in shares of Brighthouse Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:BHF - Free Report) by 17.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 128,108 shares of the company's stock after selling 27,681 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned 0.22% of Brighthouse Financial worth $7,429,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of BHF. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Brighthouse Financial by 3.2% during the 1st quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 912,242 shares of the company's stock valued at $52,901,000 after acquiring an additional 28,080 shares in the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Brighthouse Financial by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 732,689 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,198,000 after purchasing an additional 24,662 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in shares of Brighthouse Financial by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 678,920 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,615,000 after purchasing an additional 26,813 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Brighthouse Financial by 156.9% in the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 656,464 shares of the company's stock worth $31,537,000 after purchasing an additional 400,924 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Brighthouse Financial by 6.6% in the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 386,664 shares of the company's stock valued at $22,423,000 after buying an additional 23,990 shares in the last quarter. 81.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on BHF. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of 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 lowered 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 note on Monday, July 14th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Brighthouse Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, June 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Brighthouse Financial from $56.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on Brighthouse Financial from $57.00 to $50.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $59.67.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Vonda Huss sold 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.51, for a total value of $178,530.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 18,441 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,097,423.91. This trade represents a 13.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

Brighthouse Financial Trading Down 0.6%

BHF traded down $0.30 during trading on Monday, reaching $46.79. The company had a trading volume of 619,618 shares, compared to its average volume of 683,593. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $50.18 and its 200 day simple moving average is $54.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 0.93. The company has a market cap of $2.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.06 and a beta of 0.88. Brighthouse Financial, Inc. has a 12-month low of $40.00 and a 12-month high of $64.12.

Brighthouse Financial (NASDAQ:BHF - Get Free Report) last posted 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). The firm had revenue of $2.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.21 billion. Brighthouse Financial had a net margin of 10.24% and a return on equity of 21.06%. Brighthouse Financial's quarterly revenue was down 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $5.57 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Brighthouse Financial, Inc. will post 20.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Brighthouse Financial Company 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.