Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of Dun & Bradstreet Corp (NYSE:DNB) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Wednesday morning, MarketBeat.Com reports.

According to Zacks, “D&B reported third-quarter 2015 results wherein earnings topped the Zacks Consensus Estimate while revenues missed the same. D&B’s high-margin business model, strong international growth potential, strategic investments, accretive cloud-based acquisitions and aggressive share buyback are expected to drive growth in the long run. The company's divestment of its Australia/New Zealand business is also a positive in the long run. However, increasing competition along with rising operating costs will continue to hurt revenues and profitability, going ahead. Also, weakness in DNBi and a high debt level can pose challenges.”

Shares of Dun & Bradstreet Corp (NYSE:DNB) traded down 0.48% during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $95.61. 102,971 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged. Dun & Bradstreet Corp has a one year low of $91.70 and a one year high of $137.25. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $100.41 and its 200 day moving average price is $108.97. The firm has a market cap of $3.45 billion and a PE ratio of 18.88.

Dun & Bradstreet Corp (NYSE:DNB) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 2nd. The company reported $1.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $1.67 by $0.17. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.85 earnings per share. The company had revenue of $406.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $419.78 million. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Dun & Bradstreet Corp will post $7.21 EPS for the current year.

In related news, Director Christopher J. Coughlin sold 2,330 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.50, for a total value of $262,125.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 15,057 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,693,912.50. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

A number of hedge funds and institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Janus Capital Management raised its position in Dun & Bradstreet Corp by 17.2% in the third quarter. Janus Capital Management now owns 426,753 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,809,000 after buying an additional 62,581 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its position in Dun & Bradstreet Corp by 2,711.2% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 29,686 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,085,000 after buying an additional 28,630 shares during the period. Cambiar Investors LLC purchased a new position in Dun & Bradstreet Corp during the fourth quarter worth about $2,702,000. Oakbrook Investments LLC purchased a new position in Dun & Bradstreet Corp during the fourth quarter worth about $418,000. Finally, Burke & Herbert Bank & Trust Company purchased a new position in Dun & Bradstreet Corp during the fourth quarter worth about $260,000.

Separately, Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Dun & Bradstreet Corp from $115.00 to $110.00 and set an underweight rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 17th.

The Dun & Bradstreet Corporation is the source of commercial data, analytics and insight on businesses. The Company’s commercial database contained over 240 million business records. The customers use D&B Risk management solutions to mitigate credit, compliance and supplier risk, and D&B Sales and marketing solutions to offers data management capabilities. It operates in North America, which consists of its operations in the United States and Canada; Asia Pacific, which consists of its operations in Australia, Greater China, India and Asia Pacific across the world network and Europe and other International markets, which consists of its operations in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Belgium, Latin America and its European across the world network. Its customers include manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers in fields as banking, technology, telecommunications, Government and insurance, as well as sales, marketing and business development professionals.

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