Brady (NYSE:BRC) Downgraded by StockNews.com to Buy

Brady (NYSE:BRC) was downgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday.

Brady Trading Down 1.3 %

Shares of Brady stock opened at $74.16 on Thursday. Brady has a 1 year low of $51.35 and a 1 year high of $76.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 2.27 and a quick ratio of 1.69. The stock has a market cap of $3.52 billion, a PE ratio of 18.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.49 and a beta of 0.76. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $72.68 and a 200 day moving average price of $66.49.

Brady (NYSE:BRC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, September 6th. The industrial products company reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $343.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $351.74 million. Brady had a return on equity of 19.84% and a net margin of 14.70%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.04 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Brady will post 4.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Brady news, General Counsel Andrew Gorman sold 8,736 shares of the business’s 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 transaction, the general counsel now directly owns 10,140 shares in the company, valued at approximately $751,374. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Brady news, COO Thomas F. Debruine sold 2,851 shares of Brady stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.77, for a total transaction of $216,020.27. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 9,727 shares in the company, valued at $737,014.79. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, General Counsel Andrew Gorman sold 8,736 shares of the company’s 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 transaction, the general counsel now owns 10,140 shares in the company, valued at $751,374. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 45,262 shares of company stock valued at $3,371,231. Insiders own 15.60% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Brady

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Aristides Capital LLC increased its holdings in Brady by 7.2% during the 2nd quarter. Aristides Capital LLC now owns 4,343 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $287,000 after purchasing an additional 292 shares during the period. Aurora Investment Counsel acquired a new stake in Brady in the second quarter valued at approximately $2,104,000. Quarry LP lifted its stake in Brady by 36.1% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 962 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $64,000 after acquiring an additional 255 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning lifted its stake in Brady by 2.6% in the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 10,277 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $679,000 after acquiring an additional 256 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Public Sector Pension Investment Board grew its holdings in Brady by 7.4% during the 2nd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 98,589 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $6,509,000 after acquiring an additional 6,772 shares in the last quarter. 76.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.