Brighthouse Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:BHF) Shares Sold by Fruth Investment Management

Fruth Investment Management reduced its stake in shares of Brighthouse Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:BHF) by 7.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 10,900 shares of the company’s stock after selling 900 shares during the period. Fruth Investment Management’s holdings in Brighthouse Financial were worth $561,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in BHF. Lindbrook Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Brighthouse Financial by 412.3% during the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 543 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 437 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in Brighthouse Financial by 123.2% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 732 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 404 shares during the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC raised its position in Brighthouse Financial by 36.1% in the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 1,143 shares of the company’s stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 303 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new position in shares of Brighthouse Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $60,000. Finally, Quent Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Brighthouse Financial by 23.0% during the 4th quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 2,046 shares of the company’s stock worth $108,000 after purchasing an additional 382 shares during the period. 81.24% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Brighthouse Financial Stock Performance

Shares of BHF traded up $0.07 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $43.95. 213,064 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 408,490. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $44.68 and its 200-day simple moving average is $48.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.73 billion, a PE ratio of -2.31 and a beta of 1.09. Brighthouse Financial, Inc. has a 52-week low of $40.24 and a 52-week high of $56.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.83.

Brighthouse Financial (NASDAQ:BHF) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 7th. The company reported $4.25 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.96 by $0.29. The business 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%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.86 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Brighthouse Financial, Inc. will post 16.16 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on BHF. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Brighthouse Financial from $46.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, June 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Brighthouse Financial from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on Brighthouse Financial from $59.00 to $56.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, June 26th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded shares of Brighthouse Financial from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $48.00 to $47.00 in a research note on Monday, June 17th. Finally, Piper Sandler reduced 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, June 28th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and six have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $50.44.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Brighthouse Financial news, CFO Edward A. Spehar sold 7,125 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.91, for a total value of $298,608.75. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 44,765 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,876,101.15. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Michael J. Inserra bought 2,500 shares of the firm’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 transaction, the director now owns 5,500 shares in the company, valued at $237,600. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Edward A. Spehar sold 7,125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.91, for a total value of $298,608.75. Following the completion of 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 owned by insiders.

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.