Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. (NYSE:BFAM) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. (NYSE:BFAM) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,180,000 shares, an increase of 37.1% from the February 28th total of 860,600 shares. Currently, 2.1% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 422,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.8 days.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions stock traded down $0.08 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $126.96. The stock had a trading volume of 412,359 shares, compared to its average volume of 421,616. Bright Horizons Family Solutions has a 1 year low of $100.59 and a 1 year high of $141.90. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $124.82 and a 200 day simple moving average of $122.62. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The company has a market capitalization of $7.28 billion, a PE ratio of 52.90 and a beta of 1.50.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions (NYSE:BFAM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $0.88 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91 by ($0.03). Bright Horizons Family Solutions had a return on equity of 13.63% and a net margin of 5.22%. On average, research analysts expect that Bright Horizons Family Solutions will post 3.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 21.5% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 6,453 shares of the company’s stock valued at $715,000 after purchasing an additional 1,141 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC boosted its stake in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 25.2% in the 4th quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 3,363 shares of the company’s stock valued at $373,000 after purchasing an additional 677 shares during the last quarter. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in Bright Horizons Family Solutions during the 4th quarter worth $11,340,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp lifted its stake in Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 145,429 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,121,000 after buying an additional 615 shares during the period. Finally, Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. bought a new position in Bright Horizons Family Solutions during the 4th quarter worth approximately $17,265,000.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $127.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. 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 report on Friday, January 24th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $102.00 to $100.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $162.00 to $142.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 27th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Bright Horizons Family Solutions from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $137.67.

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.