Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. Invests $886,000 in Brady Corporation (NYSE:BRC)

Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. bought a new position in shares of Brady Corporation (NYSE:BRC - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 12,541 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $886,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Brady by 213.6% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 461 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 314 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Brady by 15.3% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 450,148 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $33,243,000 after purchasing an additional 59,752 shares during the period. Atria Investments Inc lifted its stake in Brady by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 4,984 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $368,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Seizert Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Brady by 93.9% in the fourth quarter. Seizert Capital Partners LLC now owns 123,196 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $9,098,000 after purchasing an additional 59,666 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Brady during the 4th quarter worth about $1,865,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.28% of the company's stock.

Brady Stock Performance

Shares of BRC stock traded up $0.42 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $69.68. 183,776 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 245,244. Brady Corporation has a 52 week low of $62.70 and a 52 week high of $77.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.25 and a beta of 0.79. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $70.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $71.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a current ratio of 1.87.

Brady (NYSE:BRC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, May 16th. The industrial products company reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.22. Brady had a net margin of 13.35% and a return on equity of 19.57%. The business had revenue of $382.59 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $386.61 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.09 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Brady Corporation will post 4.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Brady Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 10th will be given a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.38%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 10th. Brady's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 23.76%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on BRC shares. Wall Street Zen raised Brady from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, June 14th. Sidoti upgraded Brady to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 19th.

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.