Franklin Resources Inc. Purchases 865,131 Shares of Brady Corporation $BRC

Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in shares of Brady Corporation (NYSE:BRC) by 267.8% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 1,188,189 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 865,131 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in Brady were worth $93,118,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in Brady by 19.4% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 131,292 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $10,289,000 after purchasing an additional 21,315 shares during the last quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. grew its position in shares of Brady by 51.0% during the 4th quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 8,187 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $642,000 after buying an additional 2,765 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Brady by 99.4% during the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 160,136 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $12,550,000 after buying an additional 79,817 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Brady by 10.3% during the 4th quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 12,616 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $989,000 after buying an additional 1,180 shares during the period. Finally, Caz Investments LP acquired a new stake in shares of Brady during the 4th quarter worth approximately $78,000. Institutional investors own 76.28% of the company’s stock.

Brady Stock Performance

Shares of BRC stock opened at $78.02 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $3.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.77 and a beta of 0.62. Brady Corporation has a 52 week low of $65.76 and a 52 week high of $99.29. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 2.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $82.37 and a 200-day moving average of $83.87.

Brady (NYSE:BRC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 18th. The industrial products company reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.15. Brady had a net margin of 12.93% and a return on equity of 19.01%. The company had revenue of $435.24 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $406.07 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.22 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 13.7% on a year-over-year basis. Brady has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.200-5.300 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Brady Corporation will post 5.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Brady Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Investors of record on Friday, July 10th will be given a $0.245 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 10th. This represents a $0.98 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. Brady’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.32%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BRC has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Brady from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Brady from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 23rd. Finally, Sidoti raised shares of Brady from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $103.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $103.00.

Brady Company Profile

Brady Corporation is a global provider of identification and safety solutions, specializing in the design, manufacture and sale of products that help businesses improve safety, security and efficiency. The company offers an array of durable labels, signs, safety devices, printing systems and software platforms tailored to a wide range of industrial and commercial environments.

Founded in 1914 by William H. Brady, Brady Corporation has grown from a regional marker manufacturer into a diversified global enterprise.