Brady (NYSE:BRC) Reaches New 52-Week High – Still a Buy?

Brady Corporation (NYSE:BRC)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $87.06 and last traded at $87.31, with a volume of 288755 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $85.56.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on BRC shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Brady from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 17th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Brady in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has assigned a Buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Strong Buy”.

Brady Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 2.07, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.12 billion, a PE ratio of 21.36 and a beta of 0.63. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $81.20 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $77.43.

Brady (NYSE:BRC) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 17th. The industrial products company reported $1.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.18 by $0.03. The firm 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%.Brady’s revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.12 EPS. Brady has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-5.150 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Brady Corporation will post 4.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Brady Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 30th. Investors of record on Friday, January 9th were paid a $0.245 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 9th. This represents a $0.98 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. Brady’s payout ratio is presently 23.96%.

Insider Activity at Brady

In other Brady news, Director Elizabeth P. Bruno sold 22,462 shares of Brady stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.69, for a total value of $1,677,686.78. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 575,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $42,946,750. The trade was a 3.76% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Thomas F. Debruine sold 5,538 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.00, for a total value of $448,578.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 10,181 shares in the company, valued at $824,661. This trade represents a 35.23% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 73,586 shares of company stock worth $5,720,907 over the last three months. Company insiders own 15.60% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Brady

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Horizon Investments LLC boosted its stake in Brady by 13.8% in the 4th quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 27,823 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,174,000 after buying an additional 3,376 shares during the last quarter. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Brady during the 4th quarter worth about $86,000. Vest Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of Brady by 48.3% in the fourth quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 79,312 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $6,216,000 after acquiring an additional 25,814 shares during the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas grew its holdings in Brady by 20.1% in the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 91,292 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $7,155,000 after purchasing an additional 15,283 shares during the period. Finally, Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its position in Brady by 96.0% during the fourth quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 50,363 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,966,000 after purchasing an additional 24,662 shares during the last quarter. 76.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.