Allianz SE Grows Stake in Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. (NYSE:BFAM)

Key Points

• Allianz SE significantly increased its stake in Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 5,181.0% during the 1st quarter, owning 3,327 shares worth approximately $423,000.
• Several analysts have downgraded the stock's ratings and price targets, with Jefferies lowering its target from $146.00 to $135.00, currently rating it as a "hold".
• Recent insider transactions indicate a decrease in holdings, as Director Mary Ann Tocio sold 2,500 shares and CFO Elizabeth J. Boland sold 3,500 shares in late May, reflecting a 10.99% and 4.18% decrease in their respective positions.

Allianz SE boosted its position in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. (NYSE:BFAM - Free Report) by 5,181.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,327 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 3,264 shares during the period. Allianz SE's holdings in Bright Horizons Family Solutions were worth $423,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 62.2% in the 1st quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 206 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 79.9% during the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 322 shares of the company's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares during the period. Global Financial Private Client LLC grew its position in Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 244.2% in the 1st quarter. Global Financial Private Client LLC now owns 327 shares of the company's stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 232 shares during the last quarter. HM Payson & Co. acquired a new position in Bright Horizons Family Solutions in the 1st quarter valued at $50,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 72.7% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 475 shares of the company's stock worth $60,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director David H. Lissy sold 6,282 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.10, for a total value of $817,288.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 69,312 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,017,491.20. The trade was a 8.31% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, COO Mary Lou Burke sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.99, for a total transaction of $128,990.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 28,449 shares in the company, valued at $3,669,636.51. This represents a 3.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 17,282 shares of company stock valued at $2,212,923. 1.21% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on BFAM. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Bright Horizons Family Solutions from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their price target for the company from $146.00 to $135.00 in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $106.00 to $100.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $137.75.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions Price Performance

Shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions stock traded down $0.26 on Friday, hitting $119.97. The company's stock had a trading volume of 272,250 shares, compared to its average volume of 491,761. The company has a market capitalization of $6.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.32 and a beta of 1.34. Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. has a 52-week low of $103.75 and a 52-week high of $141.90. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $120.07 and a 200-day moving average price of $122.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions (NYSE:BFAM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $1.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.07. Bright Horizons Family Solutions had a net margin of 6.34% and a return on equity of 15.31%. The company had revenue of $731.57 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $724.32 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.88 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. will post 3.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions Company Profile

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.