Brunswick Corporation (NYSE:BC) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts have a consensus recommendation of "Hold" on Brunswick from 15 brokerages (1 sell, 7 hold, 6 buy, 1 strong buy), with an average 12-month price target of $84.
• In the latest quarter Brunswick reported $0.58 EPS (in line) and revenue of $1.33 billion vs. $1.21 billion expected, with revenue up 15.5% year-over-year.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.44 ($1.76 annualized, ~2.6% yield), while insiders sold stock recently — CEO David Foulkes sold 38,266 shares at an average of $86.56.

Shares of Brunswick Corporation (NYSE:BC - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus recommendation of "Hold" by the fifteen brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have issued a hold recommendation, six have given a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $84.00.

Several analysts have recently commented on BC shares. Loop Capital started coverage on shares of Brunswick in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. They issued a "hold" rating and a $74.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Brunswick from $100.00 to $101.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Robert W. Baird set a $85.00 target price on Brunswick in a research note on Friday, January 30th. DA Davidson raised their price target on Brunswick from $68.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $115.00 price target on Brunswick and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th.

Brunswick Trading Down 0.1%

NYSE:BC opened at $68.90 on Monday. Brunswick has a 52-week low of $41.00 and a 52-week high of $90.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $83.15 and a 200-day simple moving average of $72.76. The company has a market capitalization of $4.47 billion, a PE ratio of -32.50 and a beta of 1.39.

Brunswick (NYSE:BC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.58. The firm had revenue of $1.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.21 billion. Brunswick had a negative net margin of 2.56% and a positive return on equity of 12.22%. The firm's revenue was up 15.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.24 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Brunswick will post 4.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Brunswick Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 13th. Investors of record on Monday, February 23rd were given a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 23rd. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. This is a boost from Brunswick's previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. Brunswick's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -83.02%.

Insider Activity

In other Brunswick news, CEO David M. Foulkes sold 38,266 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.56, for a total value of $3,312,304.96. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 271,169 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,472,388.64. This represents a 12.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Christopher F. Dekker sold 4,981 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.38, for a total transaction of $435,239.78. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 39,740 shares in the company, valued at $3,472,481.20. This represents a 11.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.81% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Brunswick

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Corient Private Wealth LLC raised its holdings in Brunswick by 45.6% in the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 11,783 shares of the company's stock valued at $875,000 after acquiring an additional 3,693 shares during the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its stake in shares of Brunswick by 32.1% during the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 35,979 shares of the company's stock worth $2,677,000 after purchasing an additional 8,733 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Brunswick by 381.4% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 765,651 shares of the company's stock worth $56,842,000 after purchasing an additional 606,618 shares during the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV grew its position in shares of Brunswick by 13.6% in the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 31,342 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,327,000 after purchasing an additional 3,763 shares during the period. Finally, Vident Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Brunswick in the fourth quarter valued at $206,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.34% of the company's stock.

About Brunswick

Founded in 1845 by John Moses Brunswick, Brunswick Corporation is a global leader in recreation products. Headquartered in Mettawa, Illinois, the company has evolved from its origins as a billiard table manufacturer into a diversified supplier of leisure equipment, serving both consumer and commercial markets around the world.

Brunswick operates through two primary segments: Marine and Bowling & Billiards. In its Marine segment, the company designs, manufactures and distributes recreational boats, outboard engines and aftermarket parts under recognized brands such as Sea Ray, Bayliner and Mercury Marine.

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