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

Shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. (NYSE:BFAM) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the ten brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have issued a hold recommendation, six have assigned a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $135.56.

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on BFAM shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $137.00 to $149.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Robert W. Baird raised Bright Horizons Family Solutions from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $140.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $108.00 to $102.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of 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, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $155.00 to $132.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions Price Performance

Bright Horizons Family Solutions stock opened at $120.03 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.61. The company has a market capitalization of $6.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 60.32 and a beta of 1.44. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $113.12 and its 200-day simple moving average is $124.33. Bright Horizons Family Solutions has a 1 year low of $94.83 and a 1 year high of $141.90.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions (NYSE:BFAM) last posted 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. The business had revenue of $719.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $713.16 million. Bright Horizons Family Solutions had a return on equity of 13.23% and a net margin of 4.44%. The company’s revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.78 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Bright Horizons Family Solutions will post 3.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Bright Horizons Family Solutions

In other news, Director Mary Ann Tocio sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.71, for a total transaction of $573,550.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 25,257 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,897,230.47. This represents a 16.53 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.22% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bright Horizons Family Solutions

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc acquired a new position in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions during the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new stake in Bright Horizons Family Solutions during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Quarry LP grew its holdings in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 68.3% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 436 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new position in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions in the third 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.