Broadridge Financial Solutions (NYSE:BR) Lowered to Hold Rating by StockNews.com

Broadridge Financial Solutions (NYSE:BR - Get Free Report) was downgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued on Saturday.

A number of other analysts have also weighed in on BR. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions from $224.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 20th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $246.00 price target on shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions from $200.00 to $207.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $217.83.

Broadridge Financial Solutions Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BR traded up $4.03 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $225.21. The company's stock had a trading volume of 466,059 shares, compared to its average volume of 452,252. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.32 billion, a PE ratio of 38.96 and a beta of 1.05. Broadridge Financial Solutions has a 52 week low of $175.21 and a 52 week high of $226.16. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $214.29 and a two-hundred day moving average of $206.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 1.08.

Broadridge Financial Solutions (NYSE:BR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, November 5th. The business services provider reported $1.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.03. Broadridge Financial Solutions had a net margin of 10.57% and a return on equity of 41.79%. The firm had revenue of $1.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.48 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.09 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Broadridge Financial Solutions will post 8.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, President Christopher John Perry sold 31,539 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.37, for a total value of $6,540,242.43. Following the transaction, the president now directly owns 67,215 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,938,374.55. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, President Christopher John Perry sold 31,539 shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.37, for a total transaction of $6,540,242.43. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now directly owns 67,215 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,938,374.55. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Timothy C. Gokey sold 25,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $209.31, for a total value of $5,232,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 206,349 shares of the company's stock, valued at $43,190,909.19. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 157,898 shares of company stock valued at $33,293,234. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Broadridge Financial Solutions

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of BR. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new stake in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions in the third quarter valued at about $44,746,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its holdings in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions by 3,197.8% during the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 204,366 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $43,945,000 after buying an additional 198,169 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $274,650,000. Earnest Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions by 25.9% in the 1st quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 364,195 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $74,609,000 after buying an additional 75,006 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in Broadridge Financial Solutions by 8.3% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 941,125 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $185,417,000 after acquiring an additional 72,018 shares in the last quarter. 90.03% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.