Morgan Stanley Boosts Brighthouse Financial (NASDAQ:BHF) Price Target to $45.00

Brighthouse Financial (NASDAQ:BHF) had its target price raised by Morgan Stanley from $41.00 to $45.00 in a research report released on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an underweight rating on the stock.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Brighthouse Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $64.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of Brighthouse Financial from $56.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Brighthouse Financial from $75.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Brighthouse Financial from $59.00 to $52.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their target price on Brighthouse Financial from $52.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $60.80.

Brighthouse Financial Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:BHF opened at $61.15 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.51 billion, a PE ratio of 11.85 and a beta of 0.96. Brighthouse Financial has a 1 year low of $40.00 and a 1 year high of $64.12. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $55.34 and a 200 day moving average price of $53.70. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63.

Brighthouse Financial (NASDAQ:BHF) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $4.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.72 by ($0.55). Brighthouse Financial had a net margin of 8.21% and a return on equity of 26.94%. The firm had revenue of $2.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.29 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $4.25 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Brighthouse Financial will post 20.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Brighthouse Financial during the fourth quarter worth $312,000. KBC Group NV grew its position in shares of Brighthouse Financial by 33.1% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,664 shares of the company’s stock valued at $128,000 after purchasing an additional 663 shares in the last quarter. Institute for Wealth Management LLC. purchased a new position in shares of Brighthouse Financial in the fourth quarter valued at $287,000. Lecap Asset Management Ltd. grew its position in Brighthouse Financial by 9.1% during the fourth quarter. Lecap Asset Management Ltd. now owns 5,234 shares of the company’s stock worth $251,000 after buying an additional 436 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Joel Isaacson & Co. LLC purchased a new position in Brighthouse Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $643,000. 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.