Brighthouse Financial (NASDAQ:BHF) Price Target Increased to $49.00 by Analysts at Jefferies Financial Group

Brighthouse Financial (NASDAQ:BHF) had its target price lifted by Jefferies Financial Group from $46.00 to $49.00 in a report issued on Friday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a hold rating on the stock.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on Brighthouse Financial from $59.00 to $56.00 and set an in-line rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on shares of Brighthouse Financial from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Brighthouse Financial from $51.00 to $50.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 10th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised shares of Brighthouse Financial from an underperform rating to a market perform rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $48.00 to $47.00 in a research note on Monday, June 17th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and six have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Brighthouse Financial presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $49.38.

Brighthouse Financial Price Performance

Brighthouse Financial stock opened at $43.34 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $45.04 and a 200-day simple moving average of $48.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.28 and a beta of 1.08. Brighthouse Financial has a 52-week low of $40.24 and a 52-week high of $56.24.

Brighthouse Financial (NASDAQ:BHF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 7th. The company reported $4.25 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.96 by $0.29. The company had revenue of $2.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.14 billion. Brighthouse Financial had a negative net margin of 38.05% and a positive return on equity of 23.49%. Brighthouse Financial’s quarterly revenue was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.86 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Brighthouse Financial will post 17.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Edward A. Spehar sold 7,125 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.91, for a total transaction of $298,608.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 44,765 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,876,101.15. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Brighthouse Financial news, Director Michael J. Inserra purchased 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 30th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $43.20 per share, for a total transaction of $108,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 5,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $237,600. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Edward A. Spehar sold 7,125 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.91, for a total transaction of $298,608.75. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 44,765 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,876,101.15. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Brighthouse Financial

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Retirement Systems of Alabama grew its stake in shares of Brighthouse Financial by 0.3% in the first quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 80,625 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,155,000 after acquiring an additional 211 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE grew its stake in Brighthouse Financial by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 35,695 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,840,000 after purchasing an additional 211 shares in the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its holdings in Brighthouse Financial by 36.1% during the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 1,143 shares of the company’s stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 303 shares during the period. Quent Capital LLC raised its position in Brighthouse Financial by 23.0% in the 4th quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 2,046 shares of the company’s stock valued at $108,000 after purchasing an additional 382 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in shares of Brighthouse Financial by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 24,187 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,280,000 after buying an additional 388 shares during the period. 81.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.