Brady (NYSE:BRC) Cut to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Brady (NYSE:BRC - Get Free Report) was downgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued on Friday.

Separately, Sidoti upgraded shares of Brady to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 19th.

Brady Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE BRC traded up $0.07 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $70.07. 108,649 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 241,827. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.84. The stock has a market cap of $3.32 billion, a PE ratio of 17.22 and a beta of 0.80. The company's fifty day moving average is $69.72 and its two-hundred day moving average is $72.11. Brady has a fifty-two week low of $62.70 and a fifty-two week high of $77.68.

Brady (NYSE:BRC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 16th. The industrial products company reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates 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%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.09 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Brady will post 4.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Brady

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BRC. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Brady in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Brady by 213.6% in the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. grew its holdings in Brady by 378.1% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 655 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 518 shares during the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its position in Brady by 19.1% in 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in Brady in the 1st quarter worth $74,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.28% of the company's stock.

Brady Company 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.