Aurora Investment Counsel Has $1.77 Million Stock Position in Brady Corporation $BRC

Aurora Investment Counsel cut its holdings in shares of Brady Corporation (NYSE:BRC) by 31.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 21,823 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 9,785 shares during the period. Aurora Investment Counsel’s holdings in Brady were worth $1,773,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in BRC. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund grew its holdings in Brady by 1.0% during the first quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 23,400 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,901,000 after buying an additional 223 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Brady by 2.2% in the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 210,232 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $17,079,000 after acquiring an additional 4,518 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its holdings in shares of Brady by 318.3% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 14,673 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,192,000 after purchasing an additional 11,165 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Brady by 11.9% in the first quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,333 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $271,000 after purchasing an additional 354 shares during the last quarter. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Brady by 9.4% during the first quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 12,948 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,052,000 after purchasing an additional 1,117 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.28% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Sidoti raised shares of Brady from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $103.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Wall Street Zen raised Brady from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 23rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Brady from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat, Brady presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $103.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Vineet A. Nargolwala purchased 13,011 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $76.86 per share, for a total transaction of $1,000,025.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 52,709 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,051,213.74. This represents a 32.77% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 15.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Brady Stock Performance

Shares of BRC opened at $93.69 on Friday. Brady Corporation has a 1 year low of $68.11 and a 1 year high of $99.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 2.01 and a quick ratio of 1.36. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $85.86 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $85.56. The firm has a market cap of $4.41 billion, a PE ratio of 21.34 and a beta of 0.61.

Brady (NYSE:BRC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 18th. The industrial products company reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $435.24 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $406.07 million. Brady had a return on equity of 19.01% and a net margin of 12.93%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.22 EPS. Brady has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.200-5.300 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Brady Corporation will post 5.25 EPS for the current year.

Brady Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be paid a $0.245 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 10th. This represents a $0.98 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Brady’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.32%.

About Brady

Brady Corporation is a global provider of identification and safety solutions, specializing in the design, manufacture and sale of products that help businesses improve safety, security and efficiency. The company offers an array of durable labels, signs, safety devices, printing systems and software platforms tailored to a wide range of industrial and commercial environments.

Founded in 1914 by William H. Brady, Brady Corporation has grown from a regional marker manufacturer into a diversified global enterprise.