Brighthouse Financial Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NASDAQ:BHF)

Brighthouse Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:BHF) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Tuesday. Investors purchased 2,223 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of 176% compared to the typical volume of 805 put options.

Brighthouse Financial Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of BHF stock traded up $0.33 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $52.23. 101,828 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 682,762. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 0.96. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $62.05 and its 200 day simple moving average is $61.83. The company has a market capitalization of $3.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.17 and a beta of 0.87. Brighthouse Financial has a fifty-two week low of $42.07 and a fifty-two week high of $66.80.

Brighthouse Financial (NASDAQ:BHF) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $4.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.86 by ($0.41). Brighthouse Financial had a net margin of 12.49% and a return on equity of 17.24%. The company had revenue of $1.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.18 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.43 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Brighthouse Financial will post 18.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on BHF shares. Zacks Research upgraded Brighthouse Financial from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Brighthouse Financial to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, July 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Brighthouse Financial in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $60.50.

Institutional Trading of Brighthouse Financial

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Quantinno Capital Management LP increased its holdings in shares of Brighthouse Financial by 34.7% in the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 186,971 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,196,000 after acquiring an additional 48,174 shares during the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio lifted its stake in Brighthouse Financial by 38.8% during the first quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 61,433 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,679,000 after purchasing an additional 17,164 shares during the last quarter. Amundi lifted its stake in Brighthouse Financial by 3,855.0% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 123,276 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,382,000 after purchasing an additional 120,159 shares during the last quarter. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda acquired a new position in Brighthouse Financial in the first quarter worth $4,036,000. Finally, Calamos Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Brighthouse Financial in the first quarter worth $23,459,000. 81.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.