Short Interest in Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. (NYSE:BFAM) Rises By 48.6%

Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. (NYSE:BFAM) saw a large increase in short interest during the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 955,900 shares, an increase of 48.6% from the November 30th total of 643,300 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 579,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.7 days. Approximately 1.7% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BFAM has been the subject of several research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped 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. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $145.00 to $148.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $137.00 to $149.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded Bright Horizons Family Solutions from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $137.00 to $125.00 in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Finally, Baird R W raised Bright Horizons Family Solutions from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $138.25.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Mary Lou Burke sold 800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $136.94, for a total value of $109,552.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 31,025 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,248,563.50. This trade represents a 2.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Mary Ann Tocio sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.71, for a total value of $573,550.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 25,257 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,897,230.47. The trade was a 16.53 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.22% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Bright Horizons Family Solutions in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in Bright Horizons Family Solutions in the third quarter valued at about $35,000. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. boosted its position in Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 850.0% in the second quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 342 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 306 shares during the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 73.3% during the 2nd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 390 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares during the period. Finally, Quarry LP increased its holdings in Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 68.3% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 436 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 177 shares during the last quarter.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions Stock Down 1.1 %

NYSE:BFAM traded down $1.24 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $109.29. 26,622 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 408,129. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $116.26 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $123.13. The company has a current ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.92 and a beta of 1.43. Bright Horizons Family Solutions has a 1 year low of $91.61 and a 1 year high of $141.90.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions (NYSE:BFAM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $1.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.05. Bright Horizons Family Solutions had a return on equity of 13.23% and a net margin of 4.44%. The business had revenue of $719.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $713.16 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.78 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Bright Horizons Family Solutions will post 3.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions Company Profile

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.