Brady (NYSE:BRC) Shares Gap Down on Disappointing Earnings

Shares of Brady Co. (NYSE:BRC) gapped down prior to trading on Friday following a dissappointing earnings announcement. The stock had previously closed at $74.58, but opened at $70.34. Brady shares last traded at $69.42, with a volume of 47,687 shares changing hands.

The industrial products company reported $1.00 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.03 by ($0.03). Brady had a return on equity of 19.79% and a net margin of 14.19%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.93 earnings per share.

Brady Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 10th were given a dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 10th. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.38%. Brady’s payout ratio is currently 23.59%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Brady

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its holdings in shares of Brady by 19.1% in the fourth 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. Atria Investments Inc increased its position in Brady by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 4,984 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $368,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its stake in Brady by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,454 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $255,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares in the last quarter. Andina Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Brady by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Andina Capital Management LLC now owns 5,718 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $422,000 after buying an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Chase Investment Counsel Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Brady by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. Chase Investment Counsel Corp now owns 4,836 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $357,000 after acquiring an additional 181 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.28% of the company’s stock.

Brady Trading Down 6.7 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 1.84 and a quick ratio of 1.25. The company has a 50-day moving average of $74.18 and a 200 day moving average of $73.81. The company has a market cap of $3.32 billion, a PE ratio of 17.07 and a beta of 0.76.

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.