Bright Horizons Family Solutions (NYSE:BFAM) Downgraded by StockNews.com to Sell

Bright Horizons Family Solutions (NYSE:BFAM) was downgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday.

Several other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on BFAM. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $142.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Barclays lifted their price target on Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $125.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 30th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $145.00 to $148.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $137.00 to $125.00 in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $140.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $140.75.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions Price Performance

NYSE:BFAM traded up $0.62 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $109.70. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 159,640 shares, compared to its average volume of 410,688. The company has a market capitalization of $6.38 billion, a PE ratio of 55.13 and a beta of 1.44. Bright Horizons Family Solutions has a 52-week low of $91.61 and a 52-week high of $141.90. The business’s 50-day moving average is $117.54 and its two-hundred day moving average is $123.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.61.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions (NYSE:BFAM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $1.11 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06 by $0.05. Bright Horizons Family Solutions had a net margin of 4.44% and a return on equity of 13.23%. The firm had revenue of $719.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $713.16 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.78 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Bright Horizons Family Solutions will post 3.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, COO Mary Lou Burke sold 800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $136.94, for a total transaction of $109,552.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 31,025 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,248,563.50. This represents a 2.51 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Mary Ann Tocio sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.71, for a total transaction of $573,550.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 25,257 shares in the company, valued at $2,897,230.47. This represents a 16.53 % 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.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bright Horizons Family Solutions

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Bright Horizons Family Solutions during the third quarter worth about $29,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new stake in Bright Horizons Family Solutions during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. raised its holdings in Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 850.0% in the second quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 342 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 306 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new position in Bright Horizons Family Solutions during the third quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its position in Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 73.3% during the second quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 390 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 165 shares in the last quarter.

About Bright Horizons Family Solutions

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.