Brady (NYSE:BRC) Sets New 52-Week High - What's Next?

Shares of Brady Co. (NYSE:BRC - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $77.60 and last traded at $77.36, with a volume of 3300 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $76.71.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com cut shares of Brady from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th.

Brady Stock Up 0.1 %

The stock's fifty day moving average is $74.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $69.52. The company has a current ratio of 2.27, a quick ratio of 1.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The firm has a market cap of $3.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 0.76.

Brady (NYSE:BRC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, September 6th. The industrial products company reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.11 by $0.08. Brady had a net margin of 14.70% and a return on equity of 19.84%. The firm had revenue of $343.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $351.74 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.04 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Brady Co. will post 4.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Brady Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 10th were given a dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 10th. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.25%. This is a boost from Brady's previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. Brady's dividend payout ratio is presently 23.59%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Brady

In related news, General Counsel Andrew Gorman sold 8,736 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.10, for a total value of $647,337.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel now directly owns 10,140 shares in the company, valued at $751,374. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Russell Shaller sold 12,547 shares of Brady stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.08, for a total value of $916,934.76. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 102,905 shares in the company, valued at $7,520,297.40. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, General Counsel Andrew Gorman sold 8,736 shares of Brady stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.10, for a total transaction of $647,337.60. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel now owns 10,140 shares of the company's stock, valued at $751,374. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 45,262 shares of company stock valued at $3,371,231 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 15.60% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Brady

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Brady by 21.1% in the first quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 610,505 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $36,190,000 after buying an additional 106,219 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in Brady by 101.9% during the first quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 39,503 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,207,000 after purchasing an additional 19,942 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB lifted its holdings in Brady by 54.4% during the second quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 350,000 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $23,107,000 after purchasing an additional 123,296 shares in the last quarter. Seven Eight Capital LP purchased a new position in Brady during the first quarter valued at approximately $438,000. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its holdings in shares of Brady by 36.8% in the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 42,038 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,493,000 after buying an additional 11,309 shares in the last quarter. 76.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Brady

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.