Machina Capital S.A.S. Invests $1.82 Million in Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:BR)

Machina Capital S.A.S. purchased a new position in Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:BR - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 7,491 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,816,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,010 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $224,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC grew its stake in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions by 48.4% in the first quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 141 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Crew Capital Management Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions by 2.4% in the first quarter. Crew Capital Management Ltd. now owns 2,020 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $490,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC now owns 1,440 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $326,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BSW Wealth Partners boosted its position in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions by 3.2% during the first quarter. BSW Wealth Partners now owns 1,686 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $409,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. 90.03% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Broadridge Financial Solutions from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Needham & Company LLC assumed coverage on Broadridge Financial Solutions in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. They set a "buy" rating and a $300.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $259.00 price objective on shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $250.83.

Broadridge Financial Solutions Stock Performance

BR stock traded up $1.06 during trading on Friday, reaching $254.05. The stock had a trading volume of 1,815,742 shares, compared to its average volume of 562,551. The stock's 50 day moving average is $240.60 and its two-hundred day moving average is $237.11. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. has a 52 week low of $206.29 and a 52 week high of $257.65. The firm has a market cap of $29.84 billion, a PE ratio of 38.20 and a beta of 0.94.

Broadridge Financial Solutions (NYSE:BR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The business services provider reported $2.44 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.41 by $0.03. Broadridge Financial Solutions had a return on equity of 44.82% and a net margin of 11.65%. The firm had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.86 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.23 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. will post 8.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Broadridge Financial Solutions Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, June 12th were given a dividend of $0.88 per share. This represents a $3.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.39%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 12th. Broadridge Financial Solutions's dividend payout ratio is currently 52.93%.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Thomas P. Carey sold 3,607 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $237.26, for a total transaction of $855,796.82. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 6,077 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,441,829.02. This trade represents a 37.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Douglas Richard Deschutter sold 5,056 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $239.55, for a total value of $1,211,164.80. Following the sale, the insider owned 21,167 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,070,554.85. This represents a 19.28% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 18,116 shares of company stock valued at $4,352,298 in the last three months. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Broadridge Financial Solutions Company Profile

Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc provides investor communications and technology-driven solutions for the financial services industry. The company's Investor Communication Solutions segment processes and distributes proxy materials to investors in equity securities and mutual funds, as well as facilitates related vote processing services; and distributes regulatory reports, class action, and corporate action/reorganization event information, as well as tax reporting solutions.