Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Raises Stock Position in Brighthouse Financial, Inc. $BHF

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Brighthouse Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:BHF) by 111.7% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 279,621 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 147,555 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Brighthouse Financial were worth $14,842,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of BHF. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Brighthouse Financial in the second quarter valued at approximately $41,182,000. First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Brighthouse Financial by 2,224.3% during the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 514,080 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,642,000 after purchasing an additional 491,962 shares in the last quarter. Soros Fund Management LLC increased its position in shares of Brighthouse Financial by 47.9% during the second quarter. Soros Fund Management LLC now owns 764,750 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,121,000 after purchasing an additional 247,846 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Brighthouse Financial by 10.4% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,210,276 shares of the company’s stock valued at $117,321,000 after purchasing an additional 208,630 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in shares of Brighthouse Financial by 120.1% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 322,746 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,354,000 after purchasing an additional 176,101 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.24% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BHF has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Barclays downgraded Brighthouse Financial from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $65.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Zacks Research upgraded Brighthouse Financial from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Brighthouse Financial in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Raymond James Financial restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Brighthouse Financial in a research note on Wednesday, November 12th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $63.67.

Brighthouse Financial Stock Down 2.8%

Shares of BHF opened at $59.19 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.21 and a beta of 0.96. Brighthouse Financial, Inc. has a 52 week low of $42.07 and a 52 week high of $66.33. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $63.49 and its 200-day moving average price is $58.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46.

Brighthouse Financial Company Profile

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.