Principal Securities Inc. Purchases 228 Shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:BR)

Principal Securities Inc. increased its position in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:BR) by 3.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,566 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 228 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc.’s holdings in Broadridge Financial Solutions were worth $1,485,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Congress Asset Management Co. boosted its position in Broadridge Financial Solutions by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 83,799 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $18,946,000 after acquiring an additional 1,579 shares in the last quarter. Lord & Richards Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Broadridge Financial Solutions during the fourth quarter valued at about $539,000. Sunburst Financial Group LLC grew its stake in Broadridge Financial Solutions by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Sunburst Financial Group LLC now owns 1,011 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $229,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. MGB Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Broadridge Financial Solutions by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. MGB Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,770 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $852,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Finally, One Plus One Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions by 32.2% during the fourth quarter. One Plus One Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,624 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $367,000 after buying an additional 396 shares during the last quarter. 90.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Broadridge Financial Solutions Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:BR opened at $239.01 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. has a 52-week low of $188.30 and a 52-week high of $244.47. The stock has a market cap of $27.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.40 and a beta of 1.08. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $232.69 and a 200-day moving average price of $222.98.

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

Broadridge Financial Solutions Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be issued a $0.88 dividend. This represents a $3.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 13th. Broadridge Financial Solutions’s payout ratio is 55.09%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Brett Keller sold 5,442 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director now owns 15,536 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,734,854.40. This trade represents a 25.94 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Laura Matlin sold 514 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.60, for a total transaction of $124,182.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 6,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,595,043.20. This represents a 7.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 21,666 shares of company stock valued at $5,050,766. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BR has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Wolfe Research reiterated a “peer perform” rating on shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Broadridge Financial Solutions from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Broadridge Financial Solutions from $231.00 to $249.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $215.00 price target on shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Broadridge Financial Solutions from $207.00 to $222.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $239.17.

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.