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

Shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. (NYSE:BFAM) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the nine analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have assigned a hold recommendation, five have issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $138.25.

Several research analysts have commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $137.00 to $149.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $108.00 to $102.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $137.00 to $125.00 in a research note on Monday, November 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $162.00 to $142.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 27th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Bright Horizons Family Solutions from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 25th.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions Stock Down 0.3 %

BFAM stock opened at $110.55 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $114.65 and its 200 day moving average price is $123.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.55 and a beta of 1.44. Bright Horizons Family Solutions has a fifty-two week low of $91.61 and a fifty-two week high of $141.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.61.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions (NYSE:BFAM) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $1.11 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $719.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $713.16 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.78 earnings per share. Bright Horizons Family Solutions’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Bright Horizons Family Solutions will post 3.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Mary Lou Burke sold 800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $136.94, for a total value of $109,552.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 31,025 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,248,563.50. This represents a 2.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Mary Ann Tocio sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.71, for a total value of $573,550.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 25,257 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,897,230.47. The trade was a 16.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.22% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bright Horizons Family Solutions

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in BFAM. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions during the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in Bright Horizons Family Solutions during the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its stake in Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 73.3% during the second quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 390 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 165 shares during the period. Quarry LP increased its position in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 68.3% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 436 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new position in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions in the 3rd quarter valued at $49,000.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions Company Profile

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.