Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. (NYSE:BFAM) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. (NYSE:BFAM) saw a large growth in short interest in the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,160,000 shares, a growth of 11.5% from the May 31st total of 1,040,000 shares. Approximately 2.0% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 310,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.7 days.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions Price Performance

NYSE BFAM traded up $1.94 on Wednesday, hitting $110.06. 159,540 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 342,092. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $107.71 and a 200-day moving average of $105.84. The company has a current ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. Bright Horizons Family Solutions has a 52 week low of $71.65 and a 52 week high of $119.21. The stock has a market cap of $6.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 76.14, a P/E/G ratio of 4.13 and a beta of 1.45.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions (NYSE:BFAM) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The company reported $0.41 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $622.71 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $614.60 million. Bright Horizons Family Solutions had a return on equity of 12.00% and a net margin of 3.34%. Analysts expect that Bright Horizons Family Solutions will post 2.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on BFAM shares. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $102.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $107.00 to $119.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $108.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Bright Horizons Family Solutions from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Bright Horizons Family Solutions has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $107.43.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Lightfoot Sara Lawrence sold 4,597 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.23, for a total value of $492,936.31. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, CEO Stephen Howard Kramer sold 11,250 shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.95, for a total value of $1,281,937.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 122,573 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,967,193.35. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Lightfoot Sara Lawrence sold 4,597 shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.23, for a total value of $492,936.31. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 26,647 shares of company stock valued at $2,978,550. Company insiders own 1.22% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new stake in Bright Horizons Family Solutions in the first quarter valued at $25,000. Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Bright Horizons Family Solutions in the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Bright Horizons Family Solutions during the 1st quarter worth about $40,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 120.2% during the 4th quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 1,240 shares of the company’s stock worth $117,000 after acquiring an additional 677 shares during the period. Finally, LRI Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Bright Horizons Family Solutions during the 1st quarter worth about $153,000.

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.