Lazard Asset Management LLC Has $192,000 Stock Position in BrightView Holdings, Inc. $BV

Lazard Asset Management LLC reduced its position in shares of BrightView Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BV) by 89.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,292 shares of the company’s stock after selling 145,346 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in BrightView were worth $192,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bfsg LLC acquired a new position in BrightView during the 4th quarter valued at about $49,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in shares of BrightView by 66.8% during the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 5,591 shares of the company’s stock worth $93,000 after buying an additional 2,240 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its stake in shares of BrightView by 225.8% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 5,640 shares of the company’s stock worth $94,000 after buying an additional 3,909 shares during the last quarter. Glenmede Investment Management LP acquired a new position in BrightView in the third quarter valued at approximately $139,000. Finally, Man Group plc acquired a new position in BrightView in the second quarter valued at approximately $185,000. 92.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

BrightView Trading Up 4.3%

Shares of NYSE BV opened at $11.41 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $13.44 and its 200-day moving average is $12.94. The stock has a market cap of $1.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -45.64 and a beta of 1.18. BrightView Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $10.42 and a twelve month high of $15.82. The company has a quick ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

BrightView (NYSE:BV) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported $0.17 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.29 by ($0.12). The firm had revenue of $717.60 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $726.13 million. BrightView had a net margin of 0.74% and a return on equity of 5.03%. BrightView’s quarterly revenue was up 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.30 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that BrightView Holdings, Inc. will post 0.56 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other BrightView news, Director William L. Cornog purchased 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 6th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $11.25 per share, for a total transaction of $562,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 70,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $787,500. The trade was a 250.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 2.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BV has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $16.00 price objective on shares of BrightView in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on BrightView from $14.00 to $12.50 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Wall Street Zen lowered BrightView from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised BrightView from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $13.00 to $14.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Oppenheimer assumed coverage on BrightView in a report on Wednesday, June 17th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $17.00 price objective for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $14.10.

About BrightView

BrightView Inc (NYSE:BV) is a leading commercial landscaping services company in the United States, offering a comprehensive suite of outdoor asset management solutions. The company’s core business activities include landscape maintenance, development and enhancement services tailored to a wide array of clients such as corporate campuses, healthcare facilities, multi-family residential properties, retail centers and municipalities.

BrightView’s service portfolio covers routine grounds maintenance, landscape construction and design-build, irrigation system installation and management, tree care, seasonal color programs and snow and ice management.