Short Interest in Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. (NYSE:BFAM) Rises By 8.8%

Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. (NYSE:BFAM - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest during the month of October. As of October 31st, there was short interest totalling 535,500 shares, a growth of 8.8% from the October 15th total of 492,300 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 414,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.3 days. Currently, 0.9% of the company's stock are short sold.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions Price Performance

Shares of BFAM traded down $3.04 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $104.00. 1,056,608 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 673,937. The company has a quick ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $131.45 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $122.63. Bright Horizons Family Solutions has a 52-week low of $85.95 and a 52-week high of $141.90. The company has a market cap of $6.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.26 and a beta of 1.49.

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

Insider Activity at Bright Horizons Family Solutions

In other Bright Horizons Family Solutions news, COO Mary Lou Burke sold 800 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.65, for a total value of $112,520.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 31,825 shares in the company, valued at $4,476,186.25. This represents a 2.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.22% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bright Horizons Family Solutions

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co boosted its holdings in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 141.6% in the 1st quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 14,784 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,676,000 after purchasing an additional 8,666 shares during the last quarter. Bayesian Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions during the 1st quarter valued at $981,000. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions during the 3rd quarter valued at $13,639,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 7.0% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 784,896 shares of the company's stock valued at $86,395,000 after acquiring an additional 51,024 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Private Advisor Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 16.5% during the 3rd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 2,491 shares of the company's stock valued at $349,000 after acquiring an additional 352 shares in the last quarter.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $125.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 30th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $114.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $142.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $131.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $141.13.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions Company 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.

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