Bright Horizons Family Solutions (NYSE:BFAM) Upgraded by StockNews.com to Hold Rating

Bright Horizons Family Solutions (NYSE:BFAM) was upgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Tuesday.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Robert W. Baird upgraded Bright Horizons Family Solutions from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $140.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $162.00 to $142.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 27th. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $137.00 to $125.00 in a report on Monday, November 18th. Baird R W raised shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $108.00 to $102.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $138.25.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE BFAM traded up $0.78 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $114.97. 363,015 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 374,327. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $112.08 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $123.80. Bright Horizons Family Solutions has a twelve month low of $94.83 and a twelve month high of $141.90. The firm has a market cap of $6.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 57.77 and a beta of 1.44.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions (NYSE:BFAM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $1.11 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06 by $0.05. Bright Horizons Family Solutions had a net margin of 4.44% and a return on equity of 13.23%. The company had revenue of $719.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $713.16 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.78 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Bright Horizons Family Solutions will post 3.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Bright Horizons Family Solutions

In related news, Director Mary Ann Tocio sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the director now directly owns 25,257 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,897,230.47. This trade represents a 16.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 1.22% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bright Horizons Family Solutions

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions during the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Versant Capital Management Inc acquired a new position in Bright Horizons Family Solutions in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in Bright Horizons Family Solutions during the third quarter worth about $35,000. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions during the third quarter valued at about $49,000. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 73.3% in the 2nd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 390 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 165 shares during the period.

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.