Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:BR) Position Cut by National Pension Service

National Pension Service trimmed its holdings in Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:BR) by 5.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 157,214 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 9,585 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service’s holdings in Broadridge Financial Solutions were worth $35,545,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Broadridge Financial Solutions by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,181,715 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,118,644,000 after buying an additional 51,439 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Broadridge Financial Solutions by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,999,874 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $643,018,000 after purchasing an additional 15,208 shares in the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp boosted its stake in Broadridge Financial Solutions by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 1,594,415 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $342,856,000 after purchasing an additional 5,813 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in Broadridge Financial Solutions by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 904,919 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $194,585,000 after purchasing an additional 20,775 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in Broadridge Financial Solutions by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 896,718 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $202,739,000 after purchasing an additional 20,694 shares in the last quarter. 90.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Broadridge Financial Solutions Price Performance

BR opened at $241.26 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $233.55 and a 200-day moving average of $223.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.76 and a beta of 1.08. Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. has a 12-month low of $188.30 and a 12-month high of $244.47. The company has a quick ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64.

Broadridge Financial Solutions (NYSE:BR) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The business services provider reported $1.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by $0.24. Broadridge Financial Solutions had a return on equity of 44.40% and a net margin of 11.36%. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.92 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. will post 8.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Broadridge Financial Solutions Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be issued a $0.88 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $3.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.46%. Broadridge Financial Solutions’s payout ratio is currently 55.09%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. UBS Group increased their price target on Broadridge Financial Solutions from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Broadridge Financial Solutions from $207.00 to $222.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Wolfe Research reaffirmed a “peer perform” rating on shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. StockNews.com downgraded Broadridge Financial Solutions from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $215.00 price objective on shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $239.17.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Broadridge Financial Solutions news, Director Brett Keller sold 5,442 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $240.40, for a total transaction of $1,308,256.80. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 15,536 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,734,854.40. This represents a 25.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Robert N. Duelks sold 485 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $237.93, for a total transaction of $115,396.05. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,960 shares in the company, valued at $1,180,132.80. The trade was a 8.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 22,151 shares of company stock worth $5,166,162. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

About Broadridge Financial Solutions

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.