Royce & Associates LP Raises Holdings in Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. (NYSE:BFAM)

Royce & Associates LP boosted its stake in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. (NYSE:BFAM) by 17.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 28,506 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,300 shares during the quarter. Royce & Associates LP’s holdings in Bright Horizons Family Solutions were worth $3,160,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Versant Capital Management Inc purchased a new stake in Bright Horizons Family Solutions during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new stake in Bright Horizons Family Solutions in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new stake in Bright Horizons Family Solutions in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $49,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 76.7% in the 4th quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 417 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 181 shares during the period. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 37.2% in the 3rd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 535 shares of the company’s stock worth $75,000 after buying an additional 145 shares during the period.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on BFAM. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $155.00 to $132.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Baird R W upgraded Bright Horizons Family Solutions from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Robert W. Baird upgraded Bright Horizons Family Solutions from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $140.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, November 22nd. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $148.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $162.00 to $142.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Bright Horizons Family Solutions presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $137.67.

Insider Activity at Bright Horizons Family Solutions

In other Bright Horizons Family Solutions news, COO Mary Lou Burke sold 1,000 shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.69, for a total value of $124,690.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 33,449 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,170,755.81. This trade represents a 2.90 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Mary Ann Tocio sold 2,500 shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.74, for a total value of $311,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 22,757 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,838,708.18. The trade was a 9.90 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.22% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions Stock Up 1.2 %

BFAM stock opened at $128.69 on Thursday. Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. has a twelve month low of $100.59 and a twelve month high of $141.90. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The firm has a market cap of $7.38 billion, a PE ratio of 53.62 and a beta of 1.50. The business has a 50 day moving average of $123.01 and a 200 day moving average of $123.57.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions (NYSE:BFAM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $0.88 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91 by ($0.03). Bright Horizons Family Solutions had a net margin of 5.22% and a return on equity of 13.63%. On average, research analysts forecast that Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. will post 3.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.