Brunswick Corporation (BC) – What Are Investment Firms Saying About This Stock?

Shares of Brunswick Corporation (NYSE:BC) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the thirteen brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $83.75.

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on BC shares. Citigroup lowered their target price on Brunswick from $101.00 to $93.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Morgan Stanley set a $74.00 price target on Brunswick in a research note on Monday, October 26th. William Blair set a $94.00 price target on Brunswick in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. DA Davidson restated a “neutral” rating and set a $76.00 price target on shares of Brunswick in a report on Monday, August 17th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane initiated coverage on Brunswick in a research note on Friday. They issued a “hold” rating and a $79.00 price objective for the company.

Brunswick Stock Performance

NYSE BC opened at $78.92 on Tuesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $68.86 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $77.41. The stock has a market cap of $5.11 billion, a PE ratio of 24.43 and a beta of 1.38. Brunswick has a fifty-two week low of $59.06 and a fifty-two week high of $90.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 1.45.

Brunswick (NYSE:BC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $1.58 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.23. Brunswick had a positive return on equity of 15.28% and a negative net margin of 1.53%. The company had revenue of $1.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.46 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.97 EPS. Brunswick’s revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Brunswick will post 4.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Brunswick Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 24th will be given a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 24th. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. Brunswick’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 54.49%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Brunswick

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Brunswick in the second quarter worth $568,461,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in Brunswick by 2.9% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,931,104 shares of the company’s stock valued at $213,253,000 after purchasing an additional 82,689 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in Brunswick during the 2nd quarter worth $101,201,000. Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in Brunswick by 296.1% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 872,368 shares of the company’s stock worth $63,474,000 after purchasing an additional 652,136 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new position in Brunswick during the 2nd quarter worth $40,211,000. 99.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Brunswick Company Profile

Brunswick Corporation (NYSE:BC) is a marine recreation company that designs, manufactures and distributes products used in boating and related recreational activities. Its portfolio includes marine propulsion systems, boats, engines, electronics, boat control systems and other components, as well as parts and accessories.

The company’s marine businesses include Mercury Marine, which produces outboard, sterndrive and inboard engines, and a range of boat brands such as Boston Whaler, Sea Ray, Bayliner, Lund, Harris and Princecraft.