Investors Buy Large Volume of Call Options on Broadridge Financial Solutions (NYSE:BR)

Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:BR) saw some unusual options trading activity on Friday. Traders acquired 3,280 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 631% compared to the typical volume of 449 call options.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Thomas Carey sold 2,501 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.76, for a total transaction of $399,559.76. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 8,800 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,405,888. This trade represents a 22.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, Director Maura Markus sold 3,180 shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $191.89, for a total transaction of $610,210.20. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 33,769 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,479,933.41. This represents a 8.61% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Broadridge Financial Solutions

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Security National Bank of SO Dak purchased a new position in Broadridge Financial Solutions during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Markowski Investments purchased a new stake in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions in the second quarter worth about $27,000. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. boosted its position in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions by 230.8% in the third quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 172 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the period. Bell Investment Advisors Inc bought a new position in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions in the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, First Command Advisory Services Inc. boosted its position in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions by 496.7% in the third quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. now owns 179 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 149 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.03% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BR has been the topic of several research analyst reports. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions in a research note on Monday, August 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Broadridge Financial Solutions from $191.00 to $201.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 4th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Broadridge Financial Solutions from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Broadridge Financial Solutions from $176.00 to $181.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 4th. Finally, DA Davidson reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $214.00 price target on shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions in a research note on Tuesday, October 27th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $212.71.

Broadridge Financial Solutions Stock Performance

BR traded up $0.90 on Friday, hitting $192.37. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 212,796 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,315,896. Broadridge Financial Solutions has a 12 month low of $133.83 and a 12 month high of $233.10. The firm has a market cap of $21.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.26 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $173.03 and its 200-day simple moving average is $165.53.

Broadridge Financial Solutions (NYSE:BR) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 3rd. The business services provider reported $1.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $1.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.65 billion. Broadridge Financial Solutions had a net margin of 13.94% and a return on equity of 40.32%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.51 EPS. Analysts forecast that Broadridge Financial Solutions will post 10.58 EPS for the current year.

Broadridge Financial Solutions Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 10th will be paid a dividend of $1.09 per share. This represents a $4.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 10th. Broadridge Financial Solutions’s payout ratio is presently 48.18%.

Broadridge Financial Solutions Company Profile

Broadridge Financial Solutions provides technology and operations services to financial institutions, public companies, and investors. Its platforms support investor communications, corporate governance, and the processing of financial transactions. The company’s services include preparing and distributing proxy materials and other shareholder communications, supporting shareholder voting, and providing solutions for trading, clearing, settlement, and asset servicing. Broadridge also offers technology for wealth and investment management, including portfolio and account management, data, and regulatory reporting.