Brighthouse Financial soars after report Aquarian discussing $65-$70 per share offer 

** Shares of U.S. life insurance and annuity provider Brighthouse Financial BHF surge as much as 30.8%; last up 21.6% at $55.01

** Investment firm Aquarian Holdings is in advanced talks to pay $65 to $70 per share for BHF, Bloomberg News reports, citing people familiar with the matter

** BHF may decide as soon as next week to move forward with a sale or remain independent - Bloomberg News

** Charlotte, North Carolina-based Brighthouse, which was spun out of MetLife MET in 2017, has been exploring the possibility of a sale for most of this year

** Two of 10 brokerages rate the stock "buy" or higher, six "hold" and two "sell"; with median PT of $51, according to data compiled by LSEG

** As of last close, BHF stock down 5.8% YTD