Brady (NYSE:BRC) Cut to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Brady (NYSE:BRC) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Saturday.

Separately, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Brady in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has assigned a Buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Strong Buy”.

Brady Stock Performance

Shares of BRC stock opened at $96.56 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.61 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a current ratio of 2.07. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $84.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $79.21. Brady has a one year low of $62.70 and a one year high of $97.58.

Brady (NYSE:BRC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 17th. The industrial products company reported $1.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.18 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $405.29 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $393.65 million. Brady had a return on equity of 19.06% and a net margin of 12.74%.The company’s revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.12 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Brady will post 4.55 EPS for the current year.

Brady Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 30th. Investors of record on Friday, January 9th were given a $0.245 dividend. This represents a $0.98 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 9th. Brady’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.96%.

Insider Activity

In other Brady news, General Counsel Andrew Gorman sold 12,528 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.01, for a total value of $1,002,365.28. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel owned 14,153 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,132,381.53. This represents a 46.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Russell Shaller sold 17,130 shares of Brady stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.25, for a total transaction of $1,391,812.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 141,421 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,490,456.25. This represents a 10.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 73,586 shares of company stock valued at $5,720,907. 15.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Brady

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of BRC. Prentiss Smith & Co. Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Brady by 22.4% during the 3rd quarter. Prentiss Smith & Co. Inc. now owns 70,984 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $5,539,000 after buying an additional 12,987 shares during the last quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. bought a new stake in Brady during the second quarter worth about $457,000. Quantbot Technologies LP boosted its position in Brady by 245.8% during the second quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 19,556 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,329,000 after purchasing an additional 13,901 shares during the last quarter. BTS Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Brady in the second quarter valued at approximately $450,000. Finally, Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Brady during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $423,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.28% of the company’s stock.

Brady Company Profile

Brady Corporation is a global provider of identification and safety solutions, specializing in the design, manufacture and sale of products that help businesses improve safety, security and efficiency. The company offers an array of durable labels, signs, safety devices, printing systems and software platforms tailored to a wide range of industrial and commercial environments.

Founded in 1914 by William H. Brady, Brady Corporation has grown from a regional marker manufacturer into a diversified global enterprise.