Morgan Stanley Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Bright Horizons Family Solutions (NYSE:BFAM) Stock

Bright Horizons Family Solutions (NYSE:BFAM) had its target price hoisted by research analysts at Morgan Stanley from $100.00 to $108.00 in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “underweight” rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley’s price objective indicates a potential downside of 7.14% from the company’s previous close.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $104.00 to $122.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $128.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $119.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Barclays boosted their price target on Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $125.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 30th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $115.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Bright Horizons Family Solutions currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $141.13.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions Stock Up 0.4 %

BFAM opened at $116.31 on Tuesday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $135.42 and its 200 day simple moving average is $122.24. Bright Horizons Family Solutions has a 52 week low of $80.29 and a 52 week high of $141.90. The company has a quick ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 0.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The stock has a market cap of $6.75 billion, a PE ratio of 66.84 and a beta of 1.49.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions (NYSE:BFAM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $1.11 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06 by $0.05. Bright Horizons Family Solutions had a net margin of 3.98% and a return on equity of 12.86%. The firm had revenue of $719.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $713.16 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.78 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Bright Horizons Family Solutions will post 2.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Bright Horizons Family Solutions

In related news, COO Mary Lou Burke sold 800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.65, for a total transaction of $112,520.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 31,825 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,476,186.25. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.22% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bright Horizons Family Solutions

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC purchased a new position in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions in the first quarter valued at about $64,735,000. Millennium Management LLC bought a new position in Bright Horizons Family Solutions in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,995,000. M&G Plc purchased a new stake in Bright Horizons Family Solutions during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,467,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. raised its position in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 64.1% during the second quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 570,423 shares of the company’s stock valued at $62,792,000 after buying an additional 222,823 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 174.0% in the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 344,397 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,260,000 after buying an additional 218,707 shares in 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.