Middleton & Co. Inc. MA Decreases Holdings in Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:BR)

Middleton & Co. Inc. MA lowered its stake in Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:BR) by 0.6% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 19,210 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 120 shares during the period. Middleton & Co. Inc. MA’s holdings in Broadridge Financial Solutions were worth $4,343,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Adero Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Adero Partners LLC now owns 1,837 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $415,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Sunburst Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Sunburst Financial Group LLC now owns 1,011 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $229,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Avestar Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions by 4.0% during the third quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 1,248 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $268,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,528 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $345,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,097 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $248,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.03% of the company’s stock.

Broadridge Financial Solutions Price Performance

Shares of BR stock opened at $241.26 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 1.35. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $233.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $223.96. Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. has a 12 month low of $188.30 and a 12 month high of $244.47. The company has a market capitalization of $28.23 billion, a PE ratio of 37.76 and a beta of 1.08.

Broadridge Financial Solutions (NYSE:BR) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The business services provider reported $1.56 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 in the prior year, the firm earned $0.92 EPS. Analysts predict that Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. will post 8.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Broadridge Financial Solutions Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.88 per share. This represents a $3.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.46%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 13th. Broadridge Financial Solutions’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 55.09%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions from $207.00 to $222.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions from $246.00 to $259.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com lowered shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions from $231.00 to $249.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $239.17.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Thomas P. Carey sold 15,710 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.32, for a total value of $3,618,327.20. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 12,146 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,797,466.72. The trade was a 56.40 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert N. Duelks sold 485 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $237.93, for a total transaction of $115,396.05. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 4,960 shares in the company, valued at $1,180,132.80. This trade represents a 8.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 22,151 shares of company stock valued at $5,166,162. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Broadridge Financial Solutions Company Profile

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.