Brighthouse Financial Trades Below 50-Day SMA: How to Play the Stock?

Core Viewpoint - Brighthouse Financial, Inc. (BHF) is experiencing a short-term bearish trend as it trades below its 50-day simple moving average (SMA), which is a key indicator for identifying support and resistance levels [1] Price Performance - BHF shares have declined by 2.8% year-to-date, while the industry has seen a decline of 1.6%. In contrast, the Finance sector and the Zacks S&P 500 Composite have increased by 10.6% and 8.9%, respectively [2] - The market capitalization of Brighthouse Financial is $2.7 billion, with an average trading volume of 0.8 million shares over the last three months [2] Valuation Metrics - BHF shares are trading at a price-to-book value of 0.47X, significantly lower than the industry average of 1.87X, indicating that the shares are affordable compared to peers [4] Sales Performance - Life insurance sales grew by 17.8% in Q2 2025, reaching $33 million, while annuity sales rose by 8.4% year-over-year to $2.6 billion, driven by strong demand for fixed annuities [7][14] - Total expenses surged by 68% to $3.5 billion in the first half of 2025, with long-term debt reaching $3.2 billion [7] Revenue and Earnings Projections - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2025 revenues is $8.9 billion, reflecting a year-over-year improvement of 1.5%. The current-year earnings estimate is $18.24 per share, down 7.1% from the previous year [8] - For 2026, earnings per share and revenues are projected to increase by 19.4% and 3%, respectively [8] Analyst Sentiment - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2025 earnings has decreased by 0.8% over the past week, while the estimate for 2026 has increased by 0.2% [9] Target Price and Upside Potential - The average price target for BHF, based on short-term projections from 10 analysts, is $56.90 per share, suggesting a potential upside of 23.4% from the last closing price [10] Strategic Initiatives - Brighthouse Financial is focused on expanding life insurance sales, enhancing annuity products, and extending its distribution reach to capture growth in the individual insurance market [13] - The company is reshaping its product lineup to meet changing client demands, including the introduction of SecureKey fixed indexed annuities and SmartGuard Plus, its first universal life product tied to market indexes [16] Financial Challenges - Despite solid fundamentals, Brighthouse Financial faces challenges from rising expenses, higher policyholder claims, and weakening margins, with total expenses increasing significantly [18] - The company's long-term debt has risen to $3.2 billion, resulting in a debt-to-equity ratio of 55%, which is considerably higher than the industry average of 16.7% [19] Conclusion - Brighthouse Financial is gaining traction through strong annuity sales and improving life insurance momentum, but rising expenses and high debt levels present notable challenges that could impact long-term performance [20]