Leuthold Group LLC Takes $3.39 Million Position in Brady Co. (NYSE:BRC)

Leuthold Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Brady Co. (NYSE:BRC) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 57,764 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,390,000. Leuthold Group LLC owned 0.12% of Brady as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its holdings in shares of Brady by 293.8% in the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 575 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 429 shares in the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in Brady during the 3rd quarter worth about $164,000. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Brady during the 4th quarter worth about $208,000. Fox Run Management L.L.C. acquired a new position in shares of Brady during the 3rd quarter worth about $209,000. Finally, Ifrah Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Brady during the 3rd quarter worth about $213,000. 76.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Brady Stock Performance

NYSE BRC traded up $0.45 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $61.02. The company had a trading volume of 4,520 shares, compared to its average volume of 336,587. The business has a 50 day moving average of $58.75 and a 200-day moving average of $58.00. The company has a market cap of $2.95 billion, a PE ratio of 15.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.76. Brady Co. has a 1-year low of $46.77 and a 1-year high of $63.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a current ratio of 2.13.

Brady (NYSE:BRC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 22nd. The industrial products company reported $0.93 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.92 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $322.60 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $339.61 million. Brady had a net margin of 14.08% and a return on equity of 19.24%. Brady’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.81 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Brady Co. will post 4 EPS for the current year.

Brady Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 9th were given a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, April 8th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.54%. Brady’s payout ratio is 24.54%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com lowered shares of Brady from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 26th.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Elizabeth P. Bruno sold 2,415 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.01, for a total value of $144,924.15. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 326,178 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,573,941.78. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Brady news, Director Nancy Lee Gioia sold 4,250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.20, for a total transaction of $251,600.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 11,551 shares in the company, valued at $683,819.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Elizabeth P. Bruno sold 2,415 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.01, for a total value of $144,924.15. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 326,178 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,573,941.78. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 39,017 shares of company stock valued at $2,283,667. Company insiders own 15.60% of the company’s stock.

Brady Profile

Brady Corporation manufactures and supplies identification solutions (IDS) and workplace safety (WPS) products to identify and protect premises, products, and people in the United States and internationally. The company offers materials, printing systems, RFID, and bar code scanners for product identification, brand protection labeling, work in process labeling, finished product identification, and industrial track and trace applications; safety signs, floor-marking tapes, pipe markers, labeling systems, spill control products, lockout/tagout device, and software and services for safety compliance auditing, procedure writing, and training; and hand-held printers, wire markers, sleeves, and tags for wire identification.