31,821 Brighthouse Financial, Inc. $BHF Shares Sold by Jefferies Financial Group Inc.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. reduced its stake in Brighthouse Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:BHF) by 10.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 280,889 shares of the company’s stock after selling 31,821 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. owned 0.49% of Brighthouse Financial worth $14,016,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in BHF. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. acquired a new stake in Brighthouse Financial in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its stake in Brighthouse Financial by 390.3% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 505 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 402 shares in the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. lifted its stake in Brighthouse Financial by 8,900.0% during the third quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 630 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 623 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP acquired a new position in Brighthouse Financial during the second quarter worth $49,000. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Brighthouse Financial during the second quarter worth $55,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.24% of the company’s stock.

Brighthouse Financial Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:BHF opened at $45.33 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $48.29 and its 200 day moving average price is $58.24. Brighthouse Financial, Inc. has a 12 month low of $41.01 and a 12 month high of $66.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 1.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.60, a P/E/G ratio of 0.59 and a beta of 0.81.

Brighthouse Financial (NASDAQ:BHF) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The company reported $3.68 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.96 by ($1.28). The company had revenue of $853.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.18 billion. Brighthouse Financial had a net margin of 11.95% and a return on equity of 22.18%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $4.54 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Brighthouse Financial, Inc. will post 18.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on Brighthouse Financial from $57.00 to $55.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Wall Street Zen lowered Brighthouse Financial from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Brighthouse Financial from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $63.00 to $55.00 in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Brighthouse Financial from a “hold (c)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Monday. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Brighthouse Financial presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $58.33.

About Brighthouse Financial

Brighthouse Financial is a U.S. life insurance and annuity company focused on helping individuals protect against financial risks and prepare for retirement. Its products include annuities designed to provide retirement income and life insurance policies that offer financial protection for families. The company distributes its products through independent agents and other financial professionals, including broker-dealers and banks. Brighthouse primarily serves customers in the United States. Brighthouse Financial became an independent, publicly traded company in 2017 after separating from MetLife.