Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. (NYSE:BFAM)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. (NYSE:BFAM) by 73.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 390 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 165 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Bright Horizons Family Solutions were worth $43,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BFAM. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,356,758 shares of the company’s stock worth $607,242,000 after purchasing an additional 29,942 shares during the period. Capital World Investors lifted its holdings in Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 10.5% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 1,348,432 shares of the company’s stock worth $127,076,000 after buying an additional 128,632 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 18.3% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 708,527 shares of the company’s stock valued at $66,775,000 after acquiring an additional 109,548 shares in the last quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP increased its holdings in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP now owns 657,685 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,980,000 after acquiring an additional 11,477 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions in the 4th quarter worth $57,363,000.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BFAM opened at $136.59 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.56 and a quick ratio of 0.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 96.19 and a beta of 1.48. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $130.83 and its 200-day simple moving average is $116.99. Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. has a 12 month low of $71.65 and a 12 month high of $141.90.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions (NYSE:BFAM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $0.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $670.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $666.17 million. Bright Horizons Family Solutions had a net margin of 3.98% and a return on equity of 12.86%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.54 EPS. Analysts expect that Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. will post 2.98 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on BFAM shares. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $104.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $114.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $125.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 30th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $115.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $119.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Bright Horizons Family Solutions has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $129.25.

Insider Activity at Bright Horizons Family Solutions

In related news, General Counsel John Guy Casagrande sold 4,235 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.86, for a total transaction of $549,957.10. Following the transaction, the general counsel now directly owns 13,677 shares in the company, valued at $1,776,095.22. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Bright Horizons Family Solutions news, General Counsel John Guy Casagrande sold 4,235 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.86, for a total value of $549,957.10. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel now directly owns 13,677 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,776,095.22. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, COO Mary Lou Burke sold 800 shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.20, for a total transaction of $88,160.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 36,925 shares in the company, valued at $4,069,135. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 24,635 shares of company stock valued at $3,198,948. 1.22% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.