BrightView (NYSE:BV) Raised to Neutral at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Key Points

• JPMorgan Chase upgraded BrightView from "underweight" to "neutral" with a $14 price target, implying roughly a 6.4% upside from the prior close.
• BrightView beat the quarter's expectations, reporting $0.09 EPS vs. $0.08 expected and $702.9M in revenue vs. $638.8M expected, with revenue up 6.1% year‑over‑year.
• The stock carries an average analyst rating of "Hold" with a consensus price target of $14.85, trades near $13.15 (market cap ≈ $1.24B), and is about 92% institutionally owned.

BrightView (NYSE:BV - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from an "underweight" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note issued on Thursday. The brokerage presently has a $14.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 6.44% from the stock's previous close.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on BV. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "sell" rating and issued a $11.10 price target on shares of BrightView in a report on Monday, February 9th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of BrightView in a research report on Monday. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on BrightView from $13.00 to $14.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $14.85.

BrightView Trading Up 11.4%

Shares of BrightView stock opened at $13.15 on Thursday. BrightView has a 12-month low of $11.06 and a 12-month high of $17.10. The company has a market cap of $1.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -187.90 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a current ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. The company's 50-day moving average price is $12.26 and its 200-day moving average price is $12.66.

BrightView (NYSE:BV - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $0.09 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.08 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $702.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $638.80 million. BrightView had a net margin of 1.70% and a return on equity of 7.20%. BrightView's revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.14 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that BrightView will post 0.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at BrightView

In other news, Director William L. Cornog bought 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The stock was bought at an average price of $13.46 per share, for a total transaction of $67,300.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 5,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $67,300. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 2.80% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of BrightView

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. purchased a new position in shares of BrightView in the third quarter worth about $61,076,000. William Blair Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in BrightView in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,565,000. Cooke & Bieler LP lifted its position in BrightView by 40.9% in the third quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 3,568,050 shares of the company's stock valued at $47,812,000 after purchasing an additional 1,035,820 shares during the last quarter. Interval Partners LP boosted its stake in shares of BrightView by 60.5% during the third quarter. Interval Partners LP now owns 1,641,988 shares of the company's stock valued at $22,003,000 after purchasing an additional 618,875 shares during the period. Finally, Private Management Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of BrightView during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $7,468,000. 92.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About BrightView

BrightView Inc NYSE: BV is a leading commercial landscaping services company in the United States, offering a comprehensive suite of outdoor asset management solutions. The company's core business activities include landscape maintenance, development and enhancement services tailored to a wide array of clients such as corporate campuses, healthcare facilities, multi-family residential properties, retail centers and municipalities.

BrightView's service portfolio covers routine grounds maintenance, landscape construction and design-build, irrigation system installation and management, tree care, seasonal color programs and snow and ice management.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.