ZYBERNO
Stock Report
Updated Aug 30, 2026

BRIGHT HORIZONS FAMILY SOLUTIONS INC. (BFAM)

NYSE

$74.81
Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. is an American child care and education company headquartered in Newton, Massachusetts, and the leading provider of employer-sponsored child care services in the United States. The company operates full-service and back-up child care centers at employer worksites, provides tuition assistance and college coaching programs, and operates early education and preschool centers for employees of client companies.

Professional Investment Analysis

ZYBERNO SCORE
Is it a great business? Is it getting better?
59.0/100
AVERAGE BUSINESS
BRIGHT HORIZONS FAMILY SOLUTIONS INC. (BFAM) scores 59/100 — decent metrics but limited evidence of durable competitive advantage.
📊 How is the Zyberno Score calculated? +
VALUATION SIGNAL
MARGIN OF SAFETY
Is this stock cheap or expensive relative to what the business has historically generated for owners?
+56.4%
Undervalued
Is the market underestimating or overestimating what this business is capable of going forward?
-10.9%
Market Overestimates
↑ UNDER
+50%
Brina Gap
-50%
↓ OVER
← OVERVALUED
-100%
Margin of Safety
UNDERVALUED →
+100%
UNDERESTIMATED
GROWTH
DOUBLE
DISCOUNT
EXPENSIVE
HYPE
VALUE
TRAP
0,0
MoS +56.4%  ·  Gap -10.9%

Two independent signals. One tells you if the stock is cheap relative to what the business has historically generated for owners — the Margin of Safety. The other tells you if the market is underestimating what the business is capable of going forward — the Brina Gap.

They are calculated from completely different data sources and answer completely different questions. The Margin of Safety reads the past. The Brina Gap reads the present economics and compares them against what the current stock price is assuming about the future.

When both point in the same direction simultaneously — DOUBLE DISCOUNT — the probability of genuine mispricing is high. The market is wrong on two independent dimensions at once, which is rare and significant.

The most dangerous scenario is not an overvalued stock — those are easy to avoid. It is a VALUE TRAP: a stock that appears cheap historically but where the market is already pricing in stronger growth than the business fundamentals support. Without the Brina Gap signal this looks identical to a genuine opportunity. The matrix separates them instantly.

The Brina Gap is the more powerful of the two signals. Most investors and analytical tools focus on valuation alone — whether a stock is cheap relative to earnings. Far fewer systematically compare what the business economics structurally support against what the stock price is actually assuming. That gap between fundamental growth potential and market expectations is where the most reliable mispricings live, and where this matrix earns its value.

Use this as your first filter. A stock in DOUBLE DISCOUNT territory is worth investigating. Everything else requires either more caution or a specific reason to act.

VALUE TRAP SIGNAL
BRIGHT HORIZONS FAMILY SOLUTIONS INC. (BFAM) appears cheap historically (Margin of Safety +56.4%) but the Brina Gap (-10.9%) shows the market already prices in stronger growth than fundamentals support. Verify before acting.
🎯 Expected Annual Return
41.7%
Margin of Safety convergence — your return if the market re-prices to intrinsic value (5-yr annualised)
-14.6%
Brina Gap convergence — your return if the market corrects the growth mispricing the Gap measures
7.6%
Yield + growth — what the business alone earns you, even if the market never re-rates
💰 How is Margin of Safety calculated? +
📈 How is Brina Gap calculated? +

Critical Financial Health Indicators

Return on Equity (Profitability):AVERAGE (14.4%)
Debt-to-Equity (Solvency Risk):POOR (1.69x)
Operating Margin (Operational Efficiency):AVERAGE (10.3%)
Return on Capital (Capital Efficiency):POOR (8.9%)
📊 Valuation Trilogy
Three interconnected metrics for complete valuation analysis
Click any metric for full methodology and detailed analysis
Zyberno's Verdict

According to Zyberno, BRIGHT HORIZONS FAMILY SOLUTIONS INC. (BFAM) shows a Value Trap signal — AVERAGE BUSINESS (59/100) with an apparent Margin of Safety of +56.4%, but a Brina Gap of -10.9% reveals the current price still assumes faster growth than the business can deliver.

According to Zyberno's DCF model, BRIGHT HORIZONS FAMILY SOLUTIONS INC. (BFAM) trades at $74.81 against an estimated intrinsic value per share of $171.78 — a +56.4% Margin of Safety based on Owner Earnings of $284.51M TTM, projected at 26.2% growth for 10 years with a 2.5% terminal growth rate. The Brina Gap of -10.9% weakens the case: based on the company's ROIC (8.9%) and reinvestment rate (2.9%), the business can fundamentally grow at 0.3% — but the current enterprise value implies the market expects 11.1%. This places BFAM in the Value Trap quadrant of the Brina Matrix — a value-trap signal where the apparent discount is undermined by overpriced growth expectations. Zyberno's model translates this into a 5-year expected return of 41.7% annually.

Over the trailing twelve months, BFAM generated $284.51M in Owner Earnings. Capital was deployed as follows: $224.80M returned via share buybacks, $97.07M invested in capital expenditures. Reinvestment rate: 2.9%. Owner Earnings have grown at 26.2% annually over the trailing five years using log-linear regression.

DIVISION I: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
A. Market Valuation

Market Price & Capitalization (2)

Current Price:74.81
Market Cap:$3.86B

Valuation Multiples (4)

P/B Ratio:4.09x
P/S Ratio:1.27x
Peg Ratio:6.56x

Enterprise Metrics (3)

Enterprise Value:$5.07B
Ev Ebitda Ratio:12.43x
Pfcf Ratio:14.01x

Price Action & Momentum (3)

Momentum Percentile:11 / 100
% of 52-Week High:61.8%
B. Profitability Assessment

Return Metrics (7)

ROA:4.6%
Reinvestment Rate:2.9%
Fundamental Growth Rate (g):0.3%
Market-Implied Growth Rate:11.1%

Margin Analysis (3)

Operating Margin Ttm:10.3%
Net Margin Ttm:5.8%
Ebitda Margin:13.5%

TTM Performance (3)

Gross Margin Ttm:23.5%
Operating Margin Ttm:10.3%
Net Margin Ttm:5.8%

Yield Metrics (3)

Earnings Yield:$4.22
Owner Earnings Yield:$7.38
Dividend Yield:0.0%
C. Log-Linear Regression Growth Trends

Earnings Surprise (SUE) (3)

EPS Surprise vs Expected:-22.2%
Latest Earnings Filed:2026-08-06

Revenue Growth (Linear) (1)

Revenue Growth Rate (Linear):10.3%

Earnings Growth (Linear) (1)

Net Income Growth Rate (Linear):39.8%

Cash Flow Growth (Linear) (2)

Free Cash Flow Growth Rate (Linear):24.9%
Operating Cash Flow Growth Rate (Linear):49.0%

Operating Growth (Linear) (1)

Operating Income Growth Rate (Linear):24.2%
D. Financial Stability

Liquidity Ratios (3)

Current Ratio:0.48x
Quick Ratio:0.48x
Cash Ratio:0.17x

Leverage Analysis (3)

Debt To Equity Ttm:1.69x
Debt-to-Equity Ratio:1.69x
Debt To Ebitda:3.39x

Coverage Ratios (2)

Interest Coverage Ratio:6.31x
Times Interest Earned:6.31

Capital Structure (4)

Working Capital:-506,622,000.00
Cash And Cash Equivalents:163,691,000.00
Long Term Debt:$1.07B
Net Debt:$1.22B
DIVISION II: FINANCIAL STATEMENTS ANALYSIS
A. Income Statement Analysis

Revenue Components (2)

Revenue TTM: $3.03B
Linear Growth: 10.3%
📊 Click to view full BFAM Revenue analysis & methodology →
Cost Of Revenue Ttm:$2.32B

Profitability Breakdown (2)

Gross profit TTM: $711.35M
Linear Growth: 12.1%
📊 Click to view full BFAM Gross Profit analysis & methodology →
Operating income TTM: $311.11M
Linear Growth: 24.2%
📊 Click to view full BFAM Operating Income analysis & methodology →

Bottom Line Performance (3)

Net income TTM: $175.04M
Linear Growth: 39.8%
📊 Click to view full BFAM Net Income analysis & methodology →
Income Before Tax:$261.21M
Ebitda Ttm:408,355,000.00

Operating Expenses (5)

Operating Expenses:0.00
R And D Expense:0.00
Sga Expense:395,043,000.00
Income Tax Expense:$86.18M
Interest Expense:49,897,000.00

Expense Ratios (3)

R And D To Revenue Percentage:0.0%
Sga To Revenue Percentage:50.7%
Ebitda Margin:13.5%
B. Balance Sheet Analysis

Asset Composition (5)

Total Assets:$3.79B
Current Assets:$465.05M
Ppe Net:559,728,000.00
Goodwill:1,818,900,000.00
Intangible Assets:$191.37M

Liability Structure (4)

Total Liabilities:2,846,531,000.00
Current Liabilities:971,672,000.00
Long Term Debt:$1.07B
Short Term Debt:$310.32M

Equity & Capital (3)

Equity:$943.52M
Retained Earnings:$987.64M
Common Stock:475,000,000.00

Working Capital Items (3)

Accounts Receivable:208,829,000.00
Inventory:0.00
Accounts Payable:310,318,000.00

Special Items (2)

Contract Liabilities:287,695,000.00
Stock Based Compensation:7,424,000.00
C. Cash Flow Analysis

Operating Activities (2)

Operating cash flow TTM: $372.27M
Linear Growth: 49.0%
Free cash flow TTM: $275.20M
Linear Growth: 24.9%
📊 Click to view full BFAM Free Cash Flow analysis & methodology →

Investment Activities (2)

Investing Cash Flow:-$19.51M
Capital Expenditures Ttm:97,067,000.00

Financing Activities (3)

Financing Cash Flow:-$93.32M
Dividends Paid Ttm:0.00
Stock Repurchase:224,796,000.00

Capital Transactions (3)

Common Stock Issuance:0.00
Long Term Debt Issuance:$0.00
Long Term Debt Repayments:$0.00

Non-Cash Items (1)

Depreciation Amortization Ttm:97,248,000.00
DIVISION III: OPERATIONAL METRICS
A. Per Share Analysis

Earnings Per Share (3)

EPS (Basic TTM):3.19
Eps diluted TTM: $3.16
Linear Growth: 42.3%
📊 Click to view full BFAM EPS analysis & methodology →
Earnings Per Share Ttm:$3.40

Revenue & Cash Per Share (3)

Sales Per Share Ttm:58.75
Operating Cash Flow Per Share:$6.81
Fcf Per Share Ttm:5.34

Book Value & Capital (2)

Book Value Per Share:$18.31
Cash Per Share:3.18

Dividend Policy (1)

Dividend Payout Ratio:0.00x
B. Operational Efficiency

Asset Utilization (2)

Asset Turnover Ttm:0.79x
Working Capital Turnover Ttm:-999.00x

Receivables Management (2)

Receivables Turnover Ttm:14.50x
Days Sales Outstanding Ttm:25.17

Inventory Management (2)

Inventory Turnover Ttm:-999.00x
Days Inventory Outstanding Ttm:-999.00

Payables & Cash Cycle (2)

Days Payable Outstanding:48.89
Cash Conversion Cycle:-1,022.72
C. Quality & Risk Metrics

Financial Quality Scores (2)

Financial Strength Score:20.00
Quality Score:80.00

Market Metrics (2)

Beta:0.00x
Volatility Category:unknown
DIVISION IV: INVESTMENT ANALYSIS
A. Value Investment Framework

Owner Earnings Analysis (3)

Owner earnings TTM: $284.51M
Linear Growth: 26.2%
📊 Click to view full BFAM Owner Earnings analysis & methodology →
Owner Earnings Per Share:$5.52
Owner Earnings Yield:$7.38

Growth Assessment (1)

Owner Earnings Growth Rate:$26.22

Damodaran Growth Analysis (4)

Reinvestment Rate:2.9%
Fundamental Growth Rate (g):0.3%
Market-Implied Growth Rate:11.1%

Intrinsic Value Models (1)

Return Scenarios (2)

Investment Assessment (1)

Buffett Assessment:Excellent margin of safety
B. Log-Linear Regression Growth Analysis

Growth Rates (Log-Linear Regression) (3)

Revenue Growth Rate (Linear):10.3%
Net Income Growth Rate (Linear):39.8%
Operating Income Growth Rate (Linear):24.2%

Cash Flow Growth Rates (2)

Free Cash Flow Growth Rate (Linear):24.9%
Operating Cash Flow Growth Rate (Linear):49.0%

Other Growth Rates (3)

Gross Profit Growth Rate (Linear):12.1%
Book Value Growth Rate (Linear):2.9%
Owner Earnings Growth Rate:$26.22
C. Company Profile & Context

Corporate Information (6)

Symbol:BFAM
Company Name:BRIGHT HORIZONS FAMILY SOLUTIONS INC.
Sector:Unknown
Industry:Services-Child Day Care Services
Exchange:NYSE
Country:United States

Market Classification (3)

Market Cap Category:N/A
Price Category:high
Volume Category:N/A

Share Structure (3)

Shares Outstanding:51.54M
Shares Outstanding Basic:51.54M
Shares Outstanding Diluted:51.76M

Data Processing Info (3)

Processing Version:v3.0
Last Updated:2026-08-30 18:31:42 UTC
Data Timestamp:2026-08-30T18:31:42.903388
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