Brunswick (NYSE:BC) Hits New 12-Month Low - Should You Sell?

Brunswick Co. (NYSE:BC - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $62.60 and last traded at $62.45, with a volume of 228690 shares. The stock had previously closed at $64.02.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on BC. Benchmark dropped their price target on shares of Brunswick from $100.00 to $90.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Robert W. Baird set a $90.00 target price on shares of Brunswick in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup reduced their target price on Brunswick from $92.00 to $85.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. B. Riley upgraded Brunswick to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Truist Financial cut their price objective on Brunswick from $90.00 to $85.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $81.62.

Brunswick Stock Up 3.6 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 1.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.91 and a beta of 1.54. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $66.03 and a 200-day moving average of $74.98.

Brunswick (NYSE:BC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The company reported $0.24 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.18 by $0.06. Brunswick had a net margin of 2.48% and a return on equity of 15.41%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.45 EPS. Research analysts predict that Brunswick Co. will post 4.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Brunswick Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be given a $0.43 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 24th. This is a boost from Brunswick's previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.67%. Brunswick's payout ratio is 88.42%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Nancy E. Cooper sold 433 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.65, for a total transaction of $28,426.45. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 25,361 shares in the company, valued at $1,664,949.65. This represents a 1.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.81% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Brunswick

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Creative Planning bought a new position in Brunswick in the 3rd quarter valued at $295,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in Brunswick by 3.9% during the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,647 shares of the company's stock valued at $390,000 after buying an additional 174 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue grew its position in Brunswick by 3.5% during the third quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 7,691 shares of the company's stock worth $644,000 after buying an additional 260 shares in the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in Brunswick by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 26,731 shares of the company's stock worth $2,241,000 after acquiring an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Brunswick by 13.4% in the 3rd quarter. Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC now owns 17,680 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,482,000 after acquiring an additional 2,084 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.34% of the company's stock.

About Brunswick

Brunswick Corporation designs, manufactures, and markets recreation products in the United States, Europe, the Asia-Pacific, Canada, and internationally. It operates through four segments: Propulsion, Engine P&A, Navico Group, and Boat. The Propulsion segment provides outboard, sterndrive, inboard engines, propulsion-related controls, rigging, and propellers for boat builders through marine retail dealers under the Mercury, Mercury MerCruiser, Mariner, Mercury Racing, Mercury Diesel, Avator, and Fliteboard brands.