Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. (NYSE:BFAM) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. (NYSE:BFAM) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the nine brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $138.25.

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $145.00 to $148.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $108.00 to $102.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $162.00 to $142.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $137.00 to $149.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upgraded Bright Horizons Family Solutions from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $137.00 to $125.00 in a research report on Monday, November 18th.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions Stock Up 2.3 %

BFAM opened at $115.32 on Friday. Bright Horizons Family Solutions has a 12 month low of $92.40 and a 12 month high of $141.90. The company has a current ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $113.20 and its 200-day moving average price is $123.49. The company has a market cap of $6.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 57.95 and a beta of 1.44.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions (NYSE:BFAM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $1.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.05. Bright Horizons Family Solutions had a return on equity of 13.23% and a net margin of 4.44%. The business had revenue of $719.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $713.16 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.78 EPS. Bright Horizons Family Solutions’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Bright Horizons Family Solutions will post 3.01 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Mary Ann Tocio sold 5,000 shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.71, for a total transaction of $573,550.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 25,257 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,897,230.47. This trade represents a 16.53 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.22% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bright Horizons Family Solutions

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Versant Capital Management Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Bright Horizons Family Solutions in the third quarter worth $29,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions in the third quarter worth $35,000. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 73.3% during the second quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 390 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP raised its position in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 68.3% in the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 436 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares during the last quarter.

About Bright Horizons Family Solutions

Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc provides early education and childcare, back-up care, educational advisory, and other workplace solutions services for employers and families in the United States, Puerto Rico, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Australia, and India. The company operates in three segments: Full Service Center-Based Child Care, Back-Up Care, and Educational Advisory and Other Services.