M3F Inc. Takes $16.77 Million Position in Brighthouse Financial, Inc. $BHF

M3F Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Brighthouse Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:BHF) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 280,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,766,000. Brighthouse Financial makes up about 4.2% of M3F Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest position. M3F Inc. owned about 0.49% of Brighthouse Financial at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. QRG Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Brighthouse Financial during the 1st quarter valued at $206,000. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its stake in shares of Brighthouse Financial by 9.1% during the first quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 9,268 shares of the company’s stock valued at $555,000 after buying an additional 775 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new stake in shares of Brighthouse Financial in the first quarter valued at about $994,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC bought a new stake in shares of Brighthouse Financial in the fourth quarter valued at about $21,537,000. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Brighthouse Financial by 71.2% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 38,497 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,494,000 after acquiring an additional 16,005 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.24% of the company’s stock.

Brighthouse Financial Stock Performance

BHF opened at $64.01 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The firm has a market cap of $3.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -21.48 and a beta of 0.86. Brighthouse Financial, Inc. has a 12 month low of $42.07 and a 12 month high of $66.33. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $62.62 and a 200-day moving average price of $62.59.

Brighthouse Financial (NASDAQ:BHF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $4.35 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.57 by ($0.22). Brighthouse Financial had a negative net margin of 1.10% and a positive return on equity of 16.88%. The company had revenue of $2.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.20 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $4.17 EPS. Brighthouse Financial’s revenue for the quarter was down 29.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Brighthouse Financial, Inc. will post 19.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BHF has been the topic of several recent research reports. Argus upgraded shares of Brighthouse Financial to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, March 26th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Brighthouse Financial from a “hold (c)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $67.00 price target on shares of Brighthouse Financial in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Brighthouse Financial from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Brighthouse Financial currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $60.86.

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.