Principal Securities Inc. Lowers Holdings in Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. (NYSE:BFAM)

Principal Securities Inc. decreased its position in Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. (NYSE:BFAM) by 25.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 410 shares of the company’s stock after selling 143 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc.’s holdings in Bright Horizons Family Solutions were worth $45,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Versant Capital Management Inc purchased a new position in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new stake in Bright Horizons Family Solutions in the 3rd quarter worth about $49,000. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its holdings in Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 37.2% in the 3rd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 535 shares of the company’s stock worth $75,000 after buying an additional 145 shares in the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in Bright Horizons Family Solutions in the 3rd quarter worth about $75,000. Finally, Anchor Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 423.2% during the 3rd quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 654 shares of the company’s stock valued at $92,000 after acquiring an additional 529 shares during the period.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions Stock Performance

NYSE:BFAM opened at $127.04 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.61. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $118.09 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $124.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.39 billion, a PE ratio of 52.93 and a beta of 1.45. Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. has a 52-week low of $100.59 and a 52-week high of $141.90.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions (NYSE:BFAM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $0.88 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. Analysts forecast that Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. will post 3.61 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Bright Horizons Family Solutions news, Director Mary Ann Tocio sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.71, for a total transaction of $573,550.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 25,257 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,897,230.47. This trade represents a 16.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.22% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $155.00 to $132.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on 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. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $127.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Baird R W upgraded Bright Horizons Family Solutions from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $137.00 to $149.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Bright Horizons Family Solutions has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.