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Broadridge (BR) Hits a 52-Week High: What's Driving the Stock?

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Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (BR - Free Report) scaled a 52-week high of $154.4 in the trading session on Jan 4, before closing lower at $151.5.

The company’s shares have charted a solid trajectory in recent times, appreciating 21.2% over the past year, ahead of 5.8% growth of the industry it belongs to and 17.7% surge of the Zacks S&P 500 composite.

What’s Supporting the Rally?

The stock seems to be benefiting from investors factoring in Broadridge’s strong operational momentum, recurring revenue generation capacity and capacity to provide steady income stream for its long-term stockholders.

A good percentage of Broadridge’s business comes from recurring fee revenues, which include contributions from net new business, internal growth and acquisition-related synergies. In the first quarter of fiscal 2020, the company’s recurring revenue model came out to be pandemic-resilient, growing 8% year over year to $671 million.

Prompt investments toward product development and technology platforms coupled with cost-alignment initiatives are keeping Broadridge’s operating performance in good shape. In the first quarter of fiscal 2020, operating income of $151 million improved 45% year over year. Adjusted operating income margin increased to 14.8% from 10.9% in the prior-year quarter.

The company’s consistent shareholder friendly moves instill investors’ confidence and positively impact earnings per share. In fiscal 2019, Boadridge returned $466.2 million to shareholders through a combination of $211.2 million in dividends and $255 million via share repurchases. In fiscal 2018, it returned a total of $391 million through dividend payment and share repurchases. In fiscal 2017, Broadridge repurchased shares worth $282 million and paid $152.2 million in dividends.

Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider

Broadridgecurrently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Some better-rankedstocks in the broader Zacks Business Services sector are ManpowerGroup (MAN - Free Report) , Insperity (NSP - Free Report) and BG Staffing (BGSF - Free Report) , each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

The long-term expected earnings per share (three to five years) growth rate for ManpowerGroup, Insperity and BG Staffing is 3.5%, 15% and 20%, respectively.

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Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor.

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