Brady Corporation $BRC Holdings Trimmed by Heartland Advisors Inc.

Heartland Advisors Inc. reduced its position in shares of Brady Corporation (NYSE:BRC) by 12.9% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 106,918 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 15,777 shares during the quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Brady were worth $8,686,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of BRC. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund boosted its position in shares of Brady by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 23,400 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,901,000 after purchasing an additional 223 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Brady by 2.2% in the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 210,232 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $17,079,000 after purchasing an additional 4,518 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its holdings in shares of Brady by 318.3% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 14,673 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,192,000 after purchasing an additional 11,165 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Brady by 11.9% during the first quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,333 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $271,000 after purchasing an additional 354 shares during the last quarter. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Brady by 9.4% during the first quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 12,948 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,052,000 after purchasing an additional 1,117 shares during the last quarter. 76.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Brady Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of BRC opened at $93.69 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $85.86 and its 200 day moving average price is $85.56. The company has a current ratio of 2.01, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.34 and a beta of 0.61. Brady Corporation has a 1-year low of $68.11 and a 1-year high of $99.29.

Brady (NYSE:BRC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 18th. The industrial products company reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.15. Brady had a net margin of 12.93% and a return on equity of 19.01%. The company had revenue of $435.24 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $406.07 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.22 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 13.7% on a year-over-year basis. Brady has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.200-5.300 EPS. Analysts expect that Brady Corporation will post 5.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Brady Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.245 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 10th. This represents a $0.98 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Brady’s payout ratio is currently 22.32%.

Insider Activity at Brady

In other news, CEO Vineet A. Nargolwala purchased 13,011 shares of Brady stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $76.86 per share, for a total transaction of $1,000,025.46. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 52,709 shares in the company, valued at $4,051,213.74. The trade was a 32.77% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 15.60% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Sidoti upgraded shares of Brady from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $103.00 target price for the company in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. Wall Street Zen raised Brady from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 23rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Brady from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Brady currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $103.00.

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.