Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:BR) Position Increased by Bahl & Gaynor Inc.

Bahl & Gaynor Inc. raised its position in Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:BR) by 2.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,129,824 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 29,483 shares during the quarter. Broadridge Financial Solutions makes up approximately 1.4% of Bahl & Gaynor Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 24th biggest position. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. owned about 0.97% of Broadridge Financial Solutions worth $255,442,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of BR. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 684,789 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $154,824,000 after buying an additional 23,376 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its stake in Broadridge Financial Solutions by 10.2% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 14,178 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $3,205,000 after acquiring an additional 1,312 shares during the last quarter. Woodley Farra Manion Portfolio Management Inc. lifted its stake in Broadridge Financial Solutions by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Woodley Farra Manion Portfolio Management Inc. now owns 18,267 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $4,146,000 after acquiring an additional 304 shares during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Broadridge Financial Solutions in the fourth quarter worth approximately $79,000. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its stake in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions by 33.4% during the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 3,353 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $758,000 after purchasing an additional 839 shares during the last quarter. 90.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Broadridge Financial Solutions Price Performance

NYSE BR opened at $244.62 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $234.25 and a 200 day simple moving average of $224.62. Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. has a twelve month low of $188.30 and a twelve month high of $246.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.63 billion, a PE ratio of 38.28 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a current ratio of 1.35.

Broadridge Financial Solutions (NYSE:BR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The business services provider reported $1.56 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by $0.24. Broadridge Financial Solutions had a return on equity of 44.40% and a net margin of 11.36%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.92 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. will post 8.53 EPS for the current year.

Broadridge Financial Solutions Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be issued a $0.88 dividend. This represents a $3.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 13th. Broadridge Financial Solutions’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 55.09%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Laura Matlin sold 514 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.60, for a total value of $124,182.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 6,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,595,043.20. This trade represents a 7.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert N. Duelks sold 485 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $237.93, for a total transaction of $115,396.05. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 4,960 shares in the company, valued at $1,180,132.80. This trade represents a 8.91 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 6,441 shares of company stock worth $1,547,835 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BR has been the subject of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions from $231.00 to $249.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $215.00 price target on shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Broadridge Financial Solutions from $246.00 to $259.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Broadridge Financial Solutions from $207.00 to $222.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on Broadridge Financial Solutions from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $239.17.

About Broadridge Financial Solutions

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.