Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management Buys 113 Shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:BR)

Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management lifted its stake in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:BR) by 6.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,980 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 113 shares during the quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management’s holdings in Broadridge Financial Solutions were worth $448,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. NBC Securities Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 5,951 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,279,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. Avestar Capital LLC increased its holdings in Broadridge Financial Solutions by 4.0% in the third quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 1,248 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $268,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in Broadridge Financial Solutions by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,097 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $248,000 after buying an additional 57 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its holdings in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions by 12.2% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 526 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $119,000 after buying an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Huntington National Bank grew its position in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 2,233 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $480,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the period. 90.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Broadridge Financial Solutions Stock Performance

Shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions stock opened at $235.74 on Thursday. Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. has a 52 week low of $188.30 and a 52 week high of $241.45. The company has a quick ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.63. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $230.87 and a 200-day moving average price of $219.82. The company has a market cap of $27.56 billion, a PE ratio of 40.79 and a beta of 1.08.

Broadridge Financial Solutions (NYSE:BR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 5th. The business services provider reported $1.00 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $1.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.48 billion. Broadridge Financial Solutions had a return on equity of 41.79% and a net margin of 10.57%. The business’s revenue was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.09 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. will post 8.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Broadridge Financial Solutions Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 13th were given a $0.88 dividend. This represents a $3.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.49%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 13th. Broadridge Financial Solutions’s payout ratio is 60.90%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Broadridge Financial Solutions

In other Broadridge Financial Solutions news, VP Thomas P. Carey sold 10,757 shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $226.82, for a total value of $2,439,902.74. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 12,689 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,878,118.98. The trade was a 45.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Douglas Richard Deschutter sold 24,185 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.21, for a total transaction of $5,325,778.85. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 27,137 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,975,838.77. This represents a 47.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 54,532 shares of company stock worth $12,264,846. Insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. They set a “neutral” rating and a $250.00 target price on the stock. Wolfe Research reissued a “peer perform” rating on shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $246.00 target price on shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. StockNews.com lowered Broadridge Financial Solutions from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Broadridge Financial Solutions from $200.00 to $207.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $226.71.

Broadridge Financial Solutions 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.