Van ECK Associates Corp Raises Position in Brunswick Co. (NYSE:BC)

Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its position in shares of Brunswick Co. (NYSE:BC - Free Report) by 21.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 125,017 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 22,324 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp owned approximately 0.19% of Brunswick worth $8,086,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of BC. Peterson Wealth Services grew its stake in shares of Brunswick by 6.8% during the fourth quarter. Peterson Wealth Services now owns 13,268 shares of the company's stock worth $858,000 after buying an additional 847 shares during the last quarter. Lightrock Netherlands B.V. acquired a new stake in shares of Brunswick during the 4th quarter valued at $16,400,000. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Brunswick by 372.9% during the 4th quarter. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC now owns 22,592 shares of the company's stock worth $1,461,000 after acquiring an additional 17,815 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in Brunswick by 177.9% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 27,259 shares of the company's stock worth $1,763,000 after purchasing an additional 17,450 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tectonic Advisors LLC raised its position in Brunswick by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. Tectonic Advisors LLC now owns 15,779 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,021,000 after purchasing an additional 846 shares during the last quarter. 99.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Brunswick

In related news, Director Nancy E. Cooper sold 433 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.65, for a total value of $28,426.45. Following the transaction, the director now owns 25,361 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,664,949.65. This trade represents a 1.68 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.81% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on BC shares. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Brunswick from $92.00 to $85.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Brunswick from $64.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Roth Mkm lowered their price objective on Brunswick from $91.00 to $85.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 24th. DA Davidson reduced their target price on Brunswick from $80.00 to $60.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Benchmark lowered their price target on shares of Brunswick from $100.00 to $90.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $81.85.

Brunswick Trading Down 0.9 %

Brunswick stock traded down $0.60 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $64.09. 543,112 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 734,582. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $66.80 and its 200 day simple moving average is $75.31. Brunswick Co. has a twelve month low of $62.64 and a twelve month high of $96.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.22 billion, a PE ratio of 33.73 and a beta of 1.54.

Brunswick (NYSE:BC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The company reported $0.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 firm posted $1.45 EPS. Research analysts predict that Brunswick Co. will post 4.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Brunswick Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be given a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.68%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 24th. This is a boost from Brunswick's previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. Brunswick's dividend payout ratio is 88.42%.

Brunswick Company Profile

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.