Voya Investment Management LLC Purchases 12,738 Shares of Brady Corporation $BRC

Key Points

• Voya Investment Management LLC significantly increased its stake in Brady Corporation by 67.3%, holding 31,675 shares valued at approximately $2.24 million.
• Brady recently announced a quarterly dividend increase to $0.245 per share, with the annualized dividend yield at 1.2% and a payout ratio of 24.43%.
• The stock currently has a consensus rating of "Strong Buy" from analysts, following its recent earnings report which exceeded expectations with $1.26 EPS against a forecast of $1.24 EPS.

Voya Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Brady Corporation (NYSE:BRC - Free Report) by 67.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 31,675 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 12,738 shares during the quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC owned 0.07% of Brady worth $2,238,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of Brady in the first quarter valued at about $25,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Brady in the first quarter valued at about $74,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Brady by 282.3% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 1,644 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $116,000 after acquiring an additional 1,214 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Brady during the first quarter worth about $159,000. Finally, KBC Group NV lifted its position in Brady by 33.7% during the first quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,391 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $169,000 after purchasing an additional 602 shares during the period. 76.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Brady

In related news, CEO Russell Shaller sold 23,743 shares of Brady stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.07, for a total value of $1,901,102.01. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 135,080 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,815,855.60. This trade represents a 14.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 15.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Brady Stock Performance

BRC stock traded down $0.73 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $79.35. The company's stock had a trading volume of 167,340 shares, compared to its average volume of 229,279. The stock has a market cap of $3.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.19 and a beta of 0.83. Brady Corporation has a 1 year low of $62.70 and a 1 year high of $84.03. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $74.45 and its 200 day moving average price is $71.34.

Brady (NYSE:BRC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, September 4th. The industrial products company reported $1.26 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.24 by $0.02. Brady had a net margin of 12.50% and a return on equity of 19.29%. The firm had revenue of $397.28 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $384.67 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.19 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 15.7% on a year-over-year basis. Brady has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.850-5.150 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Brady Corporation will post 4.55 EPS for the current year.

Brady Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 10th will be paid a $0.245 dividend. This is an increase from Brady's previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. This represents a $0.98 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 10th. Brady's payout ratio is currently 24.43%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Brady from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Strong Buy".

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.