Brady (NYSE:BRC) Hits New 12-Month High – What’s Next?

Brady Corporation (NYSE:BRC) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $99.29 and last traded at $96.9140, with a volume of 116007 shares. The stock had previously closed at $95.26.

Key Brady News

Here are the key news stories impacting Brady this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Revenue and top-line beat — Sales rose 7.7% to $384.1M with organic growth (1.6%), acquisitions (2.3%) and favorable FX (3.8%), showing demand resilience and acquisition contribution. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Margins improving and guidance adjusted upward at the low end — Management said margin trends are improving and raised the low end of FY2026 EPS guidance to a 4.95–5.15 range, signaling confidence in profit recovery. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlights product innovation and strategic mix shift — The company emphasized engineered product mix and innovations that support higher-margin sales over time. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: EPS met consensus — Reported EPS of $1.09 matched estimates (up from $1.00 a year ago), so the quarter was solid but not an upside surprise on the bottom line. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Increased R&D investment announced — Management plans higher R&D spend to support engineered offerings; this supports medium/long-term growth but adds near-term expense. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Guidance nuance disappointed some investors — Although the low end was raised, the guidance band (4.95–5.15) sits close to consensus (about 5.04), leaving room for disappointment if investors expected a clearer upside; that nuance likely capped the rally. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Heavy trading and sell pressure — Shares are trading down on well-above-average volume as market participants reprice based on the mixed headline (top-line beat but only in-line EPS and conservative guidance tone), increasing short-term volatility.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Brady in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen cut Brady from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has given a Buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Strong Buy”.

Brady Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $4.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.90 and a beta of 0.63. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $85.40 and its 200 day simple moving average is $79.72. The company has a quick ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 2.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06.

Brady (NYSE:BRC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The industrial products company reported $1.09 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.09. Brady had a net margin of 13.01% and a return on equity of 18.62%. The firm had revenue of $384.14 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $376.14 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.00 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. Brady has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-5.150 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Brady Corporation will post 4.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Brady Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Thomas F. Debruine sold 5,538 shares of Brady stock in a transaction on Monday, January 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.00, for a total value of $448,578.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 10,181 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $824,661. The trade was a 35.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, General Counsel Andrew Gorman sold 12,528 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.01, for a total transaction of $1,002,365.28. Following the sale, the general counsel directly owned 14,153 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,132,381.53. The trade was a 46.95% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 38,987 shares of company stock valued at $3,138,947 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 15.60% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Brady

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Brady by 22.2% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,620,931 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $127,032,000 after purchasing an additional 294,818 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its position in Brady by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,524,384 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $119,466,000 after purchasing an additional 26,151 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Brady by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,461,632 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $114,551,000 after buying an additional 8,125 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in shares of Brady by 267.8% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,188,189 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $93,118,000 after buying an additional 865,131 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Champlain Investment Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Brady by 22.1% during the second quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 821,401 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $55,831,000 after buying an additional 148,471 shares during the period. 76.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Brady

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.