Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. (NYSE:BFAM) Stock Rated "Hold" by Sell-Side Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts collectively rate BFAM “Hold”: Of 10 brokerages, four recommend buying, four recommend holding, and two recommend selling; the average 12-month price target is $79.50.
• Recent analyst actions were mixed, with price targets cut by UBS, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley; their ratings ranged from “buy” to “underweight.”
• Bright Horizons beat quarterly EPS expectations, reporting $1.80 versus $1.76 consensus, while revenue of $841.47 million slightly missed estimates; revenue grew 4.8% year over year.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. (NYSE:BFAM - Get Free Report) has received an average rating of "Hold" from the ten brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have given a hold recommendation and four have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $79.50.

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on BFAM. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $75.00 price target on shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions in a research report on Friday, October 30th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions in a research report on Tuesday, October 27th. UBS Group reduced their price target on Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $78.00 to $75.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $93.00 to $80.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $64.00 to $57.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 30th.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions Stock Up 0.4%

BFAM opened at $53.71 on Monday. Bright Horizons Family Solutions has a fifty-two week low of $52.10 and a fifty-two week high of $105.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.45. The company has a market capitalization of $2.57 billion, a P/E ratio of -18.09, a P/E/G ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 1.13. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $66.43 and a 200-day moving average of $73.22.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions (NYSE:BFAM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $1.80 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.04. Bright Horizons Family Solutions had a negative net margin of 4.38% and a positive return on equity of 23.72%. The business had revenue of $841.47 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $842.69 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.57 earnings per share. Bright Horizons Family Solutions's revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Bright Horizons Family Solutions will post 4.59 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Bright Horizons Family Solutions

In related news, Director Mary Tocio sold 6,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.65, for a total value of $435,900.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 14,329 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,041,001.85. This trade represents a 29.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Mary Burke sold 1,200 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.00, for a total value of $90,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 30,945 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,320,875. This trade represents a 3.73% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bright Horizons Family Solutions

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Signaturefd LLC lifted its stake in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 77.4% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 392 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Bright Horizons Family Solutions during the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in Bright Horizons Family Solutions during the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. State of Wyoming bought a new stake in Bright Horizons Family Solutions during the 1st quarter worth $60,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 3,055.6% in the 3rd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 852 shares of the company's stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 825 shares in the last quarter.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions Company Profile

Bright Horizons Family Solutions provides early education and child care, back-up care, and other services that help employers support employees' family and education needs. Its offerings include center-based child care and preschool, care for children and adults when regular arrangements are unavailable, and education-related programs for employers.

Founded in 1986, the company works with employers and families through a network of early education and care centers and employer-sponsored programs.

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