Natural Investments LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. (NYSE:BFAM)

Key Points

• Natural Investments LLC has increased its stake in Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 18.2%, owning 21,386 shares worth $2.716 million after acquiring an additional 3,290 shares in Q1.
• Several research firms have adjusted their ratings for Bright Horizons, with Jefferies and Morgan Stanley lowering their price targets and shifting from "buy" to "hold" and "underweight" ratings, respectively.
• Bright Horizons reported a 9.2% year-over-year revenue increase for their most recent quarter, posting $1.07 earnings per share, which beat analysts' estimates.

Natural Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. (NYSE:BFAM - Free Report) by 18.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 21,386 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 3,290 shares during the period. Natural Investments LLC's holdings in Bright Horizons Family Solutions were worth $2,716,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 62.2% during the first quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 206 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 79.9% in the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 322 shares of the company's stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. Global Financial Private Client LLC boosted its stake in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 244.2% during 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 stake in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions during the first quarter worth approximately $50,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 72.7% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 475 shares of the company's stock worth $60,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Mary Lou Burke sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.99, for a total value of $128,990.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 28,449 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,669,636.51. This trade represents a 3.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Mary Ann Tocio sold 2,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.49, for a total value of $321,225.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 20,257 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,602,821.93. The trade was a 10.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 14,282 shares of company stock valued at $1,852,623 over the last three months. 1.21% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions Stock Down 5.2%

Shares of NYSE:BFAM opened at $117.63 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.57 and a beta of 1.34. Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. has a 1-year low of $103.75 and a 1-year high of $141.90. The company's fifty day moving average is $120.42 and its two-hundred day moving average is $122.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.60.

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

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