Mesirow Institutional Investment Management Inc. Increases Stake in Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. (NYSE:BFAM)

Mesirow Institutional Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. (NYSE:BFAM - Free Report) by 2.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 123,888 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,400 shares during the period. Mesirow Institutional Investment Management Inc. owned about 0.21% of Bright Horizons Family Solutions worth $13,733,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Versant Capital Management Inc acquired a new position in Bright Horizons Family Solutions during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Atala Financial Inc bought a new stake in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 76.7% in the 4th quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 417 shares of the company's stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 181 shares during the period. Anchor Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 423.2% in the third quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 654 shares of the company's stock worth $92,000 after buying an additional 529 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Avanza Fonder AB bought a new stake in Bright Horizons Family Solutions during the fourth quarter valued at $93,000.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BFAM has been the subject of several recent research reports. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $148.00 to $130.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 24th. StockNews.com raised Bright Horizons Family Solutions from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $155.00 to $132.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $102.00 to $100.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $162.00 to $142.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $137.67.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions Stock Performance

Bright Horizons Family Solutions stock traded up $0.17 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $119.90. 104,225 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 439,379. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.61 and a quick ratio of 0.61. Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. has a 1 year low of $100.59 and a 1 year high of $141.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.85 and a beta of 1.31. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $123.23 and its 200-day moving average price is $120.14.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions (NYSE:BFAM - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $0.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.91 by ($0.03). Bright Horizons Family Solutions had a net margin of 5.22% and a return on equity of 13.63%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. will post 3.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Bright Horizons Family Solutions

In related news, COO Mary Lou Burke sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.69, for a total transaction of $124,690.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 33,449 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,170,755.81. This represents a 2.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Mary Ann Tocio sold 2,500 shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.74, for a total value of $311,850.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 22,757 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,838,708.18. This trade represents a 9.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.22% of the company's stock.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions 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.