Smartleaf Asset Management LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:BR)

Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:BR) by 37.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 698 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 192 shares during the quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Broadridge Financial Solutions were worth $157,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in BR. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new position in Broadridge Financial Solutions during the 3rd quarter valued at about $44,746,000. Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its position in Broadridge Financial Solutions by 2,302.8% during the 3rd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 147,004 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $31,618,000 after buying an additional 140,886 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Broadridge Financial Solutions during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,773,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its position in Broadridge Financial Solutions by 97.7% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 198,878 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $42,765,000 after buying an additional 98,275 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SVB Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Broadridge Financial Solutions during the 4th quarter valued at about $17,494,000. 90.03% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on BR. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Broadridge Financial Solutions from $231.00 to $249.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Broadridge Financial Solutions from $207.00 to $222.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $215.00 target price on shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Broadridge Financial Solutions from $246.00 to $259.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on Broadridge Financial Solutions from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $239.17.

Broadridge Financial Solutions Stock Down 1.9 %

Broadridge Financial Solutions stock opened at $237.79 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $27.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.21 and a beta of 1.05. Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. has a 52 week low of $188.30 and a 52 week high of $246.58. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $234.85 and its 200 day moving average price is $224.98. The company has a quick ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64.

Broadridge Financial Solutions (NYSE:BR) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The business services provider reported $1.56 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $0.24. Broadridge Financial Solutions had a return on equity of 44.40% and a net margin of 11.36%. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.92 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. will post 8.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Broadridge Financial Solutions Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.88 per share. This represents a $3.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 13th. Broadridge Financial Solutions’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 55.09%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Broadridge Financial Solutions news, Director Robert N. Duelks sold 485 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $237.93, for a total transaction of $115,396.05. Following the transaction, the director now owns 4,960 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,180,132.80. This represents a 8.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Brett Keller sold 5,442 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $240.40, for a total value of $1,308,256.80. Following the transaction, the director now owns 15,536 shares in the company, valued at $3,734,854.40. This represents a 25.94 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 6,441 shares of company stock valued at $1,547,835 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Broadridge Financial Solutions Profile

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.