Wells Fargo & Company Increases Brighthouse Financial (NASDAQ:BHF) Price Target to $51.00

Brighthouse Financial (NASDAQ:BHF - Free Report) had its target price increased by Wells Fargo & Company from $49.00 to $51.00 in a report published on Thursday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the stock.

Several other research firms have also weighed in on BHF. Morgan Stanley lowered shares of Brighthouse Financial from an equal weight rating to an underweight rating and set a $52.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Friday, February 23rd. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of Brighthouse Financial from $48.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated an underperform rating and set a $50.00 price objective on shares of Brighthouse Financial in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and four have issued a hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $51.14.

Brighthouse Financial Stock Down 2.6 %

BHF stock traded down $1.26 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $47.80. The company's stock had a trading volume of 418,618 shares, compared to its average volume of 424,339. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.80. Brighthouse Financial has a twelve month low of $39.24 and a twelve month high of $56.24. The company's fifty day moving average price is $48.86 and its 200 day moving average price is $49.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.01 billion, a P/E ratio of -2.61 and a beta of 1.16.

Brighthouse Financial (NASDAQ:BHF - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $2.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.83 by ($0.91). Brighthouse Financial had a negative net margin of 27.01% and a positive return on equity of 20.71%. The business had revenue of $1.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.13 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.51 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Brighthouse Financial will post 17.08 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Vonda Huss sold 10,000 shares of Brighthouse Financial stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.85, for a total transaction of $468,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 27,080 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,268,698. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other Brighthouse Financial news, CEO Eric T. Steigerwalt sold 25,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.96, for a total value of $1,174,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 390,765 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,350,324.40. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Vonda Huss sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.85, for a total transaction of $468,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 27,080 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,268,698. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Brighthouse Financial

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp boosted its holdings in Brighthouse Financial by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp now owns 52,642 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,713,000 after purchasing an additional 898 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Brighthouse Financial by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 244,736 shares of the company's stock valued at $12,951,000 after purchasing an additional 1,065 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its position in shares of Brighthouse Financial by 10.3% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 32,019 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,695,000 after buying an additional 2,980 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC raised its position in shares of Brighthouse Financial by 31.7% in the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 80,246 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,247,000 after buying an additional 19,338 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Voloridge Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Brighthouse Financial by 115.0% in the 4th quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 116,885 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,186,000 after buying an additional 62,514 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.24% of the company's stock.

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.