M3F Inc. Makes New $16.77 Million Investment in Brighthouse Financial, Inc. $BHF

M3F Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Brighthouse Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:BHF) during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund purchased 280,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,766,000. Brighthouse Financial accounts for approximately 4.2% of M3F Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 9th largest position.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV grew its stake in Brighthouse Financial by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 27,346 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,772,000 after buying an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. Waterfront Wealth Inc. raised its stake in Brighthouse Financial by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Waterfront Wealth Inc. now owns 35,055 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,255,000 after buying an additional 192 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Brighthouse Financial by 66.5% in the second quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 566 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 226 shares in the last quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Brighthouse Financial by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 32,275 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,090,000 after acquiring an additional 273 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio grew its stake in shares of Brighthouse Financial by 1.8% during the third quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 18,394 shares of the company’s stock worth $976,000 after acquiring an additional 323 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.24% of the company’s stock.

Brighthouse Financial Price Performance

Brighthouse Financial stock opened at $64.01 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 0.91. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $62.62 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $62.59. The company has a market cap of $3.68 billion, a PE ratio of -21.48 and a beta of 0.86. Brighthouse Financial, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $42.07 and a fifty-two week high of $66.33.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Brighthouse Financial 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.