Broadridge Financial Solutions (NYSE:BR) Upgraded by StockNews.com to “Buy” Rating

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions (NYSE:BR) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report published on Wednesday.

BR has been the subject of a number of other research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Broadridge Financial Solutions from $231.00 to $249.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $215.00 price objective on shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions from $246.00 to $259.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Broadridge Financial Solutions from $207.00 to $222.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $239.17.

Broadridge Financial Solutions Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE BR opened at $238.82 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $232.75 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $223.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.95 billion, a PE ratio of 37.37 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. Broadridge Financial Solutions has a 12 month low of $188.30 and a 12 month high of $244.47.

Broadridge Financial Solutions (NYSE:BR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The business services provider reported $1.56 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 last year, the firm earned $0.92 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Broadridge Financial Solutions will post 8.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Broadridge Financial Solutions Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th will be issued a $0.88 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $3.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.47%. Broadridge Financial Solutions’s payout ratio is currently 55.09%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Brett Keller sold 5,442 shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $240.40, for a total value of $1,308,256.80. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 15,536 shares in the company, valued at $3,734,854.40. The trade was a 25.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Laura Matlin sold 514 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.60, for a total value of $124,182.40. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 6,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,595,043.20. This trade represents a 7.22 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 21,666 shares of company stock valued at $5,050,766. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Adero Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Adero Partners LLC now owns 1,837 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $415,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Sunburst Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in Broadridge Financial Solutions by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Sunburst Financial Group LLC now owns 1,011 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $229,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,010 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $224,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Avestar Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 1,248 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $268,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Advisors Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Broadridge Financial Solutions by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC now owns 1,440 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $326,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the period. 90.03% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.