5,380 Shares in Brighthouse Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:BHF) Bought by Franklin Resources Inc.

Franklin Resources Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Brighthouse Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:BHF - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 5,380 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $258,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of BHF. KBC Group NV grew its position in Brighthouse Financial by 33.1% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,664 shares of the company's stock worth $128,000 after purchasing an additional 663 shares in the last quarter. Lecap Asset Management Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Brighthouse Financial by 9.1% in the fourth quarter. Lecap Asset Management Ltd. now owns 5,234 shares of the company's stock valued at $251,000 after acquiring an additional 436 shares in the last quarter. Institute for Wealth Management LLC. purchased a new stake in shares of Brighthouse Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $287,000. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Brighthouse Financial during the fourth quarter worth $312,000. Finally, Xponance Inc. boosted its position in Brighthouse Financial by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 6,860 shares of the company's stock worth $330,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares during the last quarter. 81.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP John Rosenthal sold 10,000 shares of Brighthouse Financial stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $61.00, for a total transaction of $610,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 66,262 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,041,982. This trade represents a 13.11 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on BHF shares. Jefferies Financial Group cut Brighthouse Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $64.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of Brighthouse Financial from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Raymond James upgraded shares of Brighthouse Financial from a "market perform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $72.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on Brighthouse Financial from $52.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Brighthouse Financial from $52.00 to $41.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Brighthouse Financial currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $62.00.

Brighthouse Financial Price Performance

NASDAQ BHF traded up $0.97 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $53.20. The company had a trading volume of 63,425 shares, compared to its average volume of 540,572. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 0.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.31 and a beta of 0.91. Brighthouse Financial, Inc. has a 52 week low of $40.00 and a 52 week high of $64.12. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $55.24 and a 200 day simple moving average of $52.29.

Brighthouse Financial (NASDAQ:BHF - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $5.88 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.56 by $1.32. Brighthouse Financial had a net margin of 8.21% and a return on equity of 26.94%. Equities research analysts expect that Brighthouse Financial, Inc. will post 20.32 earnings per share for the current year.

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.