Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. (NYSE:BFAM) Shares Bought by American Century Companies Inc.

American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. (NYSE:BFAM) by 29.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 711,745 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 162,278 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc. owned approximately 1.22% of Bright Horizons Family Solutions worth $78,897,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans acquired a new stake in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $4,520,000. Raymond James Trust N.A. raised its position in Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 5.2% during the third quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 4,521 shares of the company’s stock valued at $634,000 after buying an additional 223 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 63.0% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 29,078 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,075,000 after purchasing an additional 11,236 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 37.2% in the third quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 535 shares of the company’s stock worth $75,000 after acquiring an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 253.6% during the 3rd quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 2,981 shares of the company’s stock valued at $417,000 after buying an additional 2,138 shares during the last quarter.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions stock opened at $126.46 on Tuesday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $123.68 and a 200 day simple moving average of $123.14. The stock has a market cap of $7.25 billion, a PE ratio of 52.69 and a beta of 1.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. has a 12 month low of $100.59 and a 12 month high of $141.90.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions (NYSE:BFAM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $0.88 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91 by ($0.03). Bright Horizons Family Solutions had a net margin of 5.22% and a return on equity of 13.63%. Research analysts predict that Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. will post 3.61 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BFAM has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $127.00 to $146.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $155.00 to $132.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $162.00 to $142.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 27th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 22nd. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price objective on Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $148.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $137.67.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Mary Ann Tocio sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.74, for a total transaction of $311,850.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 22,757 shares in the company, valued at $2,838,708.18. This trade represents a 9.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, COO Mary Lou Burke sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.69, for a total transaction of $124,690.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 33,449 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,170,755.81. The trade was a 2.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.22% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions 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.