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

Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. (NYSE:BFAM - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest in the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 895,600 shares, a decrease of 6.3% from the December 31st total of 955,900 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 590,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.5 days. Currently, 1.6% of the company's stock are short sold.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BFAM has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $162.00 to $142.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 27th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $108.00 to $102.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $148.00 to $130.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 24th. StockNews.com lowered Bright Horizons Family Solutions from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $137.00 to $149.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Bright Horizons Family Solutions currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $135.56.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions Trading Down 1.3 %

BFAM traded down $1.53 on Wednesday, hitting $120.23. The company had a trading volume of 187,257 shares, compared to its average volume of 368,670. The company's fifty day moving average price is $114.40 and its 200 day moving average price is $124.50. The company has a current ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Bright Horizons Family Solutions has a 1 year low of $94.83 and a 1 year high of $141.90. The firm has a market cap of $7.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 60.56 and a beta of 1.45.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions (NYSE:BFAM - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $1.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.06 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $719.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $713.16 million. Bright Horizons Family Solutions had a return on equity of 13.23% and a net margin of 4.44%. Bright Horizons Family Solutions's revenue was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.78 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Bright Horizons Family Solutions will post 3 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Mary Ann Tocio sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.71, for a total transaction of $573,550.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 25,257 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,897,230.47. The trade was a 16.53 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.22% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bright Horizons Family Solutions

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of BFAM. Versant Capital Management Inc acquired a new stake in Bright Horizons Family Solutions in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Bright Horizons Family Solutions during the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions in the third quarter valued at $35,000. Quarry LP lifted its position in Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 68.3% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 436 shares of the company's stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 177 shares during the period. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions in the third quarter worth approximately $49,000.

About Bright Horizons Family Solutions

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.