Dun & Bradstreet (NYSE:DNB) Sees Large Volume Increase - Should You Buy?

Dun & Bradstreet Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:DNB - Get Free Report) saw strong trading volume on Wednesday . 8,838,843 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 124% from the previous session's volume of 3,946,161 shares.The stock last traded at $9.00 and had previously closed at $8.96.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on DNB shares. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "hold" rating and issued a $14.00 target price on shares of Dun & Bradstreet in a report on Monday, March 24th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and issued a $12.00 price objective on shares of Dun & Bradstreet in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on Dun & Bradstreet from $12.80 to $11.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 21st. StockNews.com started coverage on Dun & Bradstreet in a research report on Thursday. They issued a "hold" rating for the company. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "hold" rating and issued a $9.15 price objective (down from $11.00) on shares of Dun & Bradstreet in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $11.86.

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Dun & Bradstreet Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $3.85 billion, a PE ratio of -143.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.14. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $9.73 and its 200-day simple moving average is $11.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a current ratio of 0.65.

Dun & Bradstreet (NYSE:DNB - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The business services provider reported $0.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.32 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $631.90 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $658.04 million. Dun & Bradstreet had a negative net margin of 1.20% and a positive return on equity of 11.29%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Dun & Bradstreet Holdings, Inc. will post 0.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Dun & Bradstreet Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 20th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 6th were paid a $0.05 dividend. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.32%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 6th. Dun & Bradstreet's payout ratio is -333.33%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Chairman William P. Foley II sold 2,500,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.99, for a total value of $22,475,000.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 8,109,644 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $72,905,699.56. This trade represents a 23.56 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 10.44% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Dun & Bradstreet

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its holdings in Dun & Bradstreet by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 57,773,925 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $719,863,000 after buying an additional 1,275,959 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in Dun & Bradstreet by 8.3% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 17,622,318 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $219,566,000 after purchasing an additional 1,350,263 shares during the period. FMR LLC grew its stake in shares of Dun & Bradstreet by 9.7% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 12,575,015 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $156,685,000 after buying an additional 1,109,940 shares in the last quarter. Azora Capital LP lifted its holdings in Dun & Bradstreet by 15.6% in the 4th quarter. Azora Capital LP now owns 9,213,826 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $114,804,000 after buying an additional 1,240,472 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Dun & Bradstreet by 9.8% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,227,336 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $60,167,000 after purchasing an additional 468,027 shares in the last quarter. 86.68% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Dun & Bradstreet Company Profile

Dun & Bradstreet Holdings, Inc engages in providing business decisioning data and analytics solutions. The firm is involved in providing information with its solutions to support its clients with critical business operations. It offers end-to-end solutions to clients in the small business, finance, sales & marketing, third party risk & compliance, and public sectors.