StockNews.com Upgrades Bright Horizons Family Solutions (NYSE:BFAM) to “Hold”

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

A number of other equities analysts have also issued reports on BFAM. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $140.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on shares of 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. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $127.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $137.00 to $149.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $137.67.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions Price Performance

NYSE:BFAM opened at $126.29 on Friday. Bright Horizons Family Solutions has a 12 month low of $100.59 and a 12 month high of $141.90. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $116.91 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $124.69. The firm has a market cap of $7.35 billion, a PE ratio of 52.62 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions (NYSE:BFAM) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $0.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91 by ($0.03). Bright Horizons Family Solutions had a return on equity of 13.63% and a net margin of 5.22%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Bright Horizons Family Solutions will post 3.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Bright Horizons Family Solutions

In other Bright Horizons Family Solutions news, Director Mary Ann Tocio sold 5,000 shares of the company’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 value of $573,550.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 25,257 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,897,230.47. This represents a 16.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.22% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bright Horizons Family Solutions

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in 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 valued at $1,463,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can increased its position in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 2,912 shares of the company’s stock worth $323,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Accretive Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Accretive Wealth Partners LLC now owns 7,514 shares of the company’s stock worth $833,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,425 shares of the company’s stock worth $601,000 after acquiring an additional 113 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System increased its position 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 acquiring 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.