Vest Financial LLC Makes New Investment in Brady Co. (NYSE:BRC)

Vest Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Brady Co. (NYSE:BRC - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 11,467 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $810,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Brady by 213.6% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 461 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 314 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. boosted its stake in Brady by 378.1% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 655 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 518 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its holdings in Brady by 19.1% during the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 893 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $66,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Brady in the 4th quarter valued at about $96,000. Finally, New Age Alpha Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Brady in the fourth quarter valued at about $156,000. 76.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Brady Stock Up 0.2%

BRC stock traded up $0.14 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $70.17. The company's stock had a trading volume of 123,291 shares, compared to its average volume of 241,416. The company's fifty day moving average price is $69.72 and its 200 day moving average price is $72.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 1.84 and a quick ratio of 1.25. Brady Co. has a twelve month low of $62.70 and a twelve month high of $77.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.24 and a beta of 0.80.

Brady (NYSE:BRC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, May 16th. The industrial products company reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.22. The business had revenue of $382.59 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $386.61 million. Brady had a return on equity of 19.79% and a net margin of 14.19%. Brady's revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.09 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Brady Co. will post 4.55 EPS for the current year.

Brady Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, July 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 10th. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.37%. Brady's payout ratio is 23.76%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on BRC. Sidoti raised Brady to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Brady from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday.

Brady Profile

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.