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

Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. (NYSE:BFAM) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the ten analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $137.67.

BFAM has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $155.00 to $132.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group cut 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. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $148.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $102.00 to $100.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $137.00 to $149.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions Stock Performance

Shares of BFAM stock opened at $128.63 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.61 and a quick ratio of 0.61. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $118.09 and a 200-day moving average of $124.53. Bright Horizons Family Solutions has a one year low of $100.59 and a one year high of $141.90. The company has a market cap of $7.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.60 and a beta of 1.45.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions (NYSE:BFAM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $0.88 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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%. Equities research analysts forecast that Bright Horizons Family Solutions will post 3.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Mary Ann Tocio sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.71, for a total transaction of $573,550.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 25,257 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,897,230.47. The trade was a 16.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.22% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Bright Horizons Family Solutions

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 13,202 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,463,000 after buying an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can raised its holdings in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 2,912 shares of the company’s stock valued at $323,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Accretive Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Accretive Wealth Partners LLC now owns 7,514 shares of the company’s stock valued at $833,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,425 shares of the company’s stock valued at $601,000 after acquiring an additional 113 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System grew its holdings in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 15,161 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,681,000 after purchasing an additional 129 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.