Brighthouse Financial (NASDAQ:BHF) Lowered to “Strong Sell” Rating by Zacks Research

Zacks Research lowered shares of Brighthouse Financial (NASDAQ:BHF) from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a research report sent to investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Argus raised shares of Brighthouse Financial to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. Barclays downgraded shares of Brighthouse Financial from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $65.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Brighthouse Financial in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $67.00 price target on shares of Brighthouse Financial in a report on Thursday, March 26th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $60.86.

Brighthouse Financial Trading Down 0.1%

Brighthouse Financial stock opened at $59.88 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $61.97 and a two-hundred day moving average of $59.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 0.95. Brighthouse Financial has a one year low of $42.07 and a one year high of $66.33. The stock has a market cap of $3.42 billion, a PE ratio of 10.32 and a beta of 0.96.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Brighthouse Financial

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV boosted its position in Brighthouse Financial by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 27,346 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,772,000 after buying an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. Waterfront Wealth Inc. lifted its stake in Brighthouse Financial by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Waterfront Wealth Inc. now owns 35,055 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,255,000 after acquiring an additional 192 shares during the period. Four Tree Island Advisory LLC lifted its stake in Brighthouse Financial by 1.8% during the 2nd quarter. Four Tree Island Advisory LLC now owns 12,262 shares of the company’s stock valued at $659,000 after acquiring an additional 214 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Brighthouse Financial by 66.5% in the 2nd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 566 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 226 shares during the last quarter. Finally, J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Brighthouse Financial by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 32,275 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,090,000 after acquiring an additional 273 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.24% of the company’s stock.

About Brighthouse Financial

Brighthouse Financial, Inc is a U.S.-based life insurance company that specializes in retirement income solutions and annuity products. The firm was established in August 2017 as a spin-off from MetLife, Inc, and is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. Since its separation, Brighthouse Financial has focused on providing products designed to help individuals and families manage retirement income needs, drawing on decades of experience in life insurance and annuity administration inherited from its parent company.

The company’s core product offerings include fixed indexed annuities, which allow policyholders to participate in market-linked gains while protecting against downside market risk, and single premium immediate annuities, which provide guaranteed lifetime income.