Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:BR) Shares Sold by Nicholas Company Inc.

Nicholas Company Inc. lowered its stake in Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:BR) by 0.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 90,775 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 55 shares during the period. Nicholas Company Inc. owned about 0.08% of Broadridge Financial Solutions worth $20,523,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of BR. Adero Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Adero Partners LLC now owns 1,837 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $415,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Sunburst Financial Group LLC lifted its position in Broadridge Financial Solutions by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Sunburst Financial Group LLC now owns 1,011 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $229,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the period. Avestar Capital LLC lifted its position in Broadridge Financial Solutions by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 1,248 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $268,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the period. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,528 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $345,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the period. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in Broadridge Financial Solutions by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,097 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $248,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.03% of the company’s stock.

Broadridge Financial Solutions Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BR opened at $227.76 on Friday. Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. has a 1 year low of $188.30 and a 1 year high of $246.58. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $235.40 and a 200 day simple moving average of $226.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The firm has a market cap of $26.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.64 and a beta of 1.05.

Broadridge Financial Solutions (NYSE:BR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The business services provider reported $1.56 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 period last year, the firm earned $0.92 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. will post 8.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Broadridge Financial Solutions Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.88 per share. This represents a $3.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.55%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 13th. Broadridge Financial Solutions’s payout ratio is 55.09%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Broadridge Financial Solutions

In other news, CEO Timothy C. Gokey sold 95,956 shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.43, for a total value of $22,590,921.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 169,788 shares in the company, valued at approximately $39,973,188.84. The trade was a 36.11 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Laura Matlin sold 514 shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.60, for a total transaction of $124,182.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 6,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,595,043.20. This trade represents a 7.22 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 124,754 shares of company stock valued at $29,397,793. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BR has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group boosted their price target on Broadridge Financial Solutions from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Broadridge Financial Solutions from $207.00 to $222.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a 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 report on Tuesday, January 21st. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Broadridge Financial Solutions from $246.00 to $259.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised 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. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $239.17.

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.