Clarus Group Inc. Sells 729 Shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:BR)

Clarus Group Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:BR) by 17.4% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 3,460 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 729 shares during the period. Clarus Group Inc.’s holdings in Broadridge Financial Solutions were worth $782,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bogart Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions by 384.0% during the third quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 121 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC increased its position in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions by 2,028.6% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 149 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its position in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions by 246.7% during the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 156 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions during the third quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Global X Japan Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions during the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. 90.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Broadridge Financial Solutions Stock Up 0.8 %

BR opened at $242.45 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The stock has a market cap of $28.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.94 and a beta of 1.08. Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. has a twelve month low of $188.30 and a twelve month high of $242.87. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $231.87 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $221.83.

Broadridge Financial Solutions (NYSE:BR) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The business services provider reported $1.56 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by $0.24. Broadridge Financial Solutions had a net margin of 11.36% and a return on equity of 44.40%. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.92 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.88 per share. This represents a $3.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.45%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 13th. Broadridge Financial Solutions’s payout ratio is currently 55.09%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Laura Matlin sold 514 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.60, for a total transaction of $124,182.40. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 6,602 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,595,043.20. The trade was a 7.22 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Thomas P. Carey sold 15,710 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.32, for a total value of $3,618,327.20. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 12,146 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,797,466.72. The trade was a 56.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 21,666 shares of company stock valued at $5,050,766. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on BR. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions from $246.00 to $259.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions from $231.00 to $249.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions from $207.00 to $222.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. DA Davidson restated a “neutral” rating and set a $215.00 price target on shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 9th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $239.17.

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.