Bright Horizons Family Solutions (NYSE:BFAM) Shares Gap Up Following Analyst Upgrade

Shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. (NYSE:BFAM) gapped up before the market opened on Friday after StockNews.com upgraded the stock from a sell rating to a hold rating. The stock had previously closed at $104.27, but opened at $111.02. Bright Horizons Family Solutions shares last traded at $108.94, with a volume of 121,963 shares changing hands.

Several other research firms also recently issued reports on BFAM. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $102.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday. UBS Group decreased their target price on Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $103.00 to $102.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday. Barclays upgraded shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $100.00 to $125.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $107.00 to $119.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Bright Horizons Family Solutions has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $106.63.

Insider Transactions at Bright Horizons Family Solutions

In related news, CFO Elizabeth J. Boland sold 15,640 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.77, for a total transaction of $1,779,362.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 89,983 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,237,365.91. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Bright Horizons Family Solutions news, COO Mary Lou Burke sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.00, for a total transaction of $157,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 37,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,911,565. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Elizabeth J. Boland sold 15,640 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.77, for a total value of $1,779,362.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 89,983 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,237,365.91. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.28% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bright Horizons Family Solutions

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions in the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. Principal Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions in the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions in the 1st quarter valued at $40,000. Signaturefd LLC increased its holdings in Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 102.2% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 653 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 330 shares during the period. Finally, Eagle Bay Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 120.2% during the 4th quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 1,240 shares of the company’s stock worth $117,000 after purchasing an additional 677 shares during the period.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions Trading Up 6.7 %

The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $111.11 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $98.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. The company has a market cap of $6.45 billion, a PE ratio of 87.58, a P/E/G ratio of 3.99 and a beta of 1.38.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions (NYSE:BFAM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.62 by $0.12. Bright Horizons Family Solutions had a return on equity of 12.24% and a net margin of 3.07%. The company had revenue of $615.65 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $588.63 million. Analysts anticipate that Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. will post 2.69 EPS for the current year.

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.