Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Sells 102,115 Shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. $BFAM

Key Points

• Assenagon Asset Management cut its Bright Horizons stake by 93.9%, selling 102,115 shares and retaining 6,657 shares valued at approximately $424,000.
• Other institutional investors increased their exposure, including Dimensional Fund Advisors, Conestoga Capital Advisors and Giverny Capital, while insiders sold 8,900 shares worth $656,584 over the past 90 days.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed, with the stock carrying an overall “Hold” rating and an average price target of $92; BFAM recently traded at $71.39 after reporting quarterly earnings and revenue above expectations.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lowered its position in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. (NYSE:BFAM - Free Report) by 93.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,657 shares of the company's stock after selling 102,115 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.'s holdings in Bright Horizons Family Solutions were worth $424,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of BFAM. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in Bright Horizons Family Solutions during the second quarter valued at about $452,317,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 31.1% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,334,650 shares of the company's stock valued at $109,611,000 after acquiring an additional 316,919 shares during the period. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 17.5% during the first quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,293,146 shares of the company's stock valued at $106,206,000 after acquiring an additional 192,343 shares during the period. Giverny Capital Inc. lifted its position in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 45.6% in the 2nd quarter. Giverny Capital Inc. now owns 1,080,793 shares of the company's stock valued at $76,607,000 after acquiring an additional 338,464 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bamco Inc. NY purchased a new stake in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $74,789,000.

Insider Buying and Selling at Bright Horizons Family Solutions

In other news, Director Mary Tocio sold 6,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 2nd. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,041,001.85. This trade represents a 29.51% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO Mary Burke sold 1,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.00, for a total transaction of $90,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 30,945 shares in the company, valued at $2,320,875. This trade represents a 3.73% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 8,900 shares of company stock worth $656,584 in the last ninety days. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $88.00 to $78.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 14th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $66.00 to $64.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 13th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $93.00 to $83.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Bright Horizons Family Solutions presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $92.00.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions Stock Performance

NYSE BFAM opened at $71.39 on Friday. Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. has a twelve month low of $57.63 and a twelve month high of $109.86. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. The stock has a market cap of $3.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.59, a PEG ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 1.18. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $68.84 and its 200 day simple moving average is $71.38.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions (NYSE:BFAM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.08. Bright Horizons Family Solutions had a net margin of 5.78% and a return on equity of 20.09%. The firm had revenue of $779.18 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $774.84 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.07 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Bright Horizons Family Solutions has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.050-5.150 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. will post 4.70 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Bright Horizons Family Solutions

Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc provides employer-sponsored child care and workplace support services. The company operates early education and preschool centers that serve infants, toddlers, preschoolers and school-age children, with programs designed to support children's development and learning.

Its services also include back-up care for children and other dependents, typically provided through a network of child care centers, in-home caregivers and other providers. Through its Bright Horizons EdAssist Solutions business, the company offers education advising, tuition assistance administration, student loan support and related workforce education services for employers and their employees.

Founded in 1986, Bright Horizons serves families and corporate clients primarily in the United States and also has operations in the United Kingdom and other international markets.

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