Appleton Partners Inc. MA Trims Stock Position in Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:BR)

Appleton Partners Inc. MA decreased its stake in Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:BR) by 2.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,835 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 366 shares during the quarter. Appleton Partners Inc. MA’s holdings in Broadridge Financial Solutions were worth $2,902,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Qsemble Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in Broadridge Financial Solutions in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,412,000. Atria Investments Inc lifted its stake in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions by 9.7% in the 3rd quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 29,638 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $6,373,000 after purchasing an additional 2,610 shares during the period. Horizon Kinetics Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions in the 3rd quarter valued at $483,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. boosted its holdings in Broadridge Financial Solutions by 53.5% during the fourth quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 10,768 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,434,000 after buying an additional 3,753 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Miracle Mile Advisors LLC grew its position in Broadridge Financial Solutions by 98.0% during the fourth quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 2,433 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $550,000 after buying an additional 1,204 shares during the period. 90.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions from $246.00 to $259.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group increased their price target on Broadridge Financial Solutions from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. DA Davidson restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $215.00 price objective on shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Wolfe Research reiterated a “peer perform” rating on shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 9th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $239.17.

Insider Activity at Broadridge Financial Solutions

In other Broadridge Financial Solutions news, Director Maura A. Markus sold 3,880 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.02, for a total value of $880,837.60. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 27,788 shares in the company, valued at $6,308,431.76. The trade was a 12.25 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Thomas P. Carey sold 10,757 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $226.82, for a total transaction of $2,439,902.74. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 12,689 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,878,118.98. This represents a 45.88 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 36,303 shares of company stock valued at $8,371,507. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Broadridge Financial Solutions Stock Up 0.1 %

NYSE BR opened at $240.29 on Friday. Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. has a one year low of $188.30 and a one year high of $242.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a current ratio of 1.35. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $231.71 and a 200 day moving average price of $221.35. The company has a market cap of $28.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.60 and a beta of 1.08.

Broadridge Financial Solutions (NYSE:BR) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The business services provider reported $1.56 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by $0.24. Broadridge Financial Solutions had a net margin of 11.36% and a return on equity of 44.40%. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.92 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. will post 8.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Broadridge Financial Solutions Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be given a $0.88 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $3.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.46%. Broadridge Financial Solutions’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 55.09%.

Broadridge Financial Solutions Company Profile

Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc provides investor communications and technology-driven solutions for the financial services industry. The company's Investor Communication Solutions segment processes and distributes proxy materials to investors in equity securities and mutual funds, as well as facilitates related vote processing services; and distributes regulatory reports, class action, and corporate action/reorganization event information, as well as tax reporting solutions.