Bright Horizons Family Solutions (NYSE:BFAM) Sees Large Volume Increase – Still a Buy?

Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. (NYSE:BFAM) shares saw strong trading volume on Friday . 589,248 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 48% from the previous session’s volume of 397,156 shares.The stock last traded at $118.86 and had previously closed at $119.27.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on BFAM. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $125.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 30th. Baird R W raised shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $142.00 to $162.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised Bright Horizons Family Solutions from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $137.00 to $125.00 in a report on Monday, November 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $141.50.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions Stock Down 1.5 %

The company has a market cap of $6.83 billion, a PE ratio of 59.94 and a beta of 1.43. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $124.42 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $122.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.61 and a quick ratio of 0.61.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions (NYSE:BFAM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $1.11 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $719.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $713.16 million. Bright Horizons Family Solutions had a return on equity of 13.23% and a net margin of 4.44%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.78 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. will post 3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Bright Horizons Family Solutions

In other Bright Horizons Family Solutions news, Director Mary Ann Tocio sold 5,000 shares of the business’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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 25,257 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,897,230.47. The trade was 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 accessible through this hyperlink. Also, 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 completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 31,025 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,248,563.50. This trade represents a 2.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.22% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in Bright Horizons Family Solutions in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions during the third quarter worth $35,000. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. boosted its stake in shares of 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 valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 306 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new stake in Bright Horizons Family Solutions during the 3rd quarter valued at $49,000. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its stake in Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 73.3% during the 2nd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 390 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 165 shares during the period.

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.