BrightView (NYSE:BV) Stock Rating Upgraded by Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research upgraded BrightView from “strong sell” to “hold,” bringing the stock’s overall consensus rating to “Hold” with an average price target of $14.10.
• BrightView opened at $10.47, near its 52-week low of $9.81, after reporting quarterly EPS of $0.17—below the $0.29 analyst estimate—and revenue of $717.6 million, also below expectations.
• Director William Cornog purchased 50,000 shares for approximately $562,500, while institutional investors own a substantial 92.41% of the company’s stock.

BrightView (NYSE:BV - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at Zacks Research from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, Zacks reports.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Robert W. Baird set a $14.00 price target on shares of BrightView in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Oppenheimer initiated coverage on BrightView in a research report on Wednesday, June 17th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $17.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on BrightView from $14.00 to $12.50 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of BrightView in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded BrightView from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, September 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, BrightView currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $14.10.

BrightView Stock Performance

NYSE BV opened at $10.47 on Monday. BrightView has a 52-week low of $9.81 and a 52-week high of $15.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a current ratio of 1.28. The company has a market capitalization of $976.27 million, a P/E ratio of -41.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a fifty day moving average of $11.19 and a 200-day moving average of $12.27.

BrightView (NYSE:BV - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported $0.17 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.29 by ($0.12). The firm had revenue of $717.60 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $726.13 million. BrightView had a net margin of 0.74% and a return on equity of 5.03%. The firm's revenue was up 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.30 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that BrightView will post 0.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other BrightView news, Director William Cornog acquired 50,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 6th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $11.25 per share, for a total transaction of $562,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 70,000 shares in the company, valued at $787,500. This trade represents a 250.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 2.80% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of BrightView

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new position in shares of BrightView in the second quarter worth approximately $41,000. Inspire Investing LLC increased its position in shares of BrightView by 17.8% during the first quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 43,556 shares of the company's stock valued at $514,000 after acquiring an additional 6,583 shares in the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC bought a new stake in shares of BrightView during the first quarter valued at approximately $145,000. Mcmorgan & Co. LLC purchased a new position in BrightView in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $176,000. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in BrightView in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $182,000. 92.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About BrightView

BrightView Holdings, Inc is a provider of commercial landscaping services in the United States. Through its operating businesses, the company designs, develops, maintains and enhances outdoor environments for commercial properties, residential communities, sports facilities, municipalities, educational institutions and other organizations.

Its services include landscape maintenance, landscape design and development, tree care, irrigation, water management, snow and ice removal, and sports turf management.

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