Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Increases Position in Brunswick Co. (NYSE:BC)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its position in Brunswick Co. (NYSE:BC) by 82.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 21,285 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,595 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Brunswick were worth $1,377,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Brunswick by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 9,861 shares of the company’s stock worth $638,000 after acquiring an additional 190 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of Brunswick by 5.1% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,883 shares of the company’s stock worth $316,000 after acquiring an additional 236 shares during the period. KBC Group NV increased its position in shares of Brunswick by 21.7% during the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,025 shares of the company’s stock worth $170,000 after acquiring an additional 361 shares during the period. Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Brunswick by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC now owns 18,127 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,170,000 after acquiring an additional 447 shares during the period. Finally, State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D increased its position in shares of Brunswick by 2.3% during the third quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 24,190 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,028,000 after acquiring an additional 551 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.34% of the company’s stock.

Brunswick Stock Performance

Shares of BC stock opened at $57.66 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $64.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $73.29. The firm has a market cap of $3.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.35 and a beta of 1.54. Brunswick Co. has a 1 year low of $54.97 and a 1 year high of $96.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 1.65.

Brunswick (NYSE:BC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The company reported $0.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.06. Brunswick had a return on equity of 15.41% and a net margin of 2.48%. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.45 EPS. Analysts predict that Brunswick Co. will post 4.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Brunswick Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a dividend of $0.43 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.98%. This is a positive change from Brunswick’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. Brunswick’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 90.53%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on BC shares. Citigroup cut their price objective on Brunswick from $92.00 to $85.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Benchmark lowered their target price on shares of Brunswick from $100.00 to $90.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. B. Riley upgraded shares of Brunswick to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Roth Mkm lowered their target price on shares of Brunswick from $91.00 to $85.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $90.00 target price on shares of Brunswick in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Brunswick has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $81.62.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Randall S. Altman sold 3,417 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.21, for a total transaction of $215,988.57. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 26,683 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,686,632.43. This trade represents a 11.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Nancy E. Cooper sold 433 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.65, for a total transaction of $28,426.45. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 25,361 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,664,949.65. The trade was a 1.68 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

Brunswick Company Profile

Brunswick Corporation designs, manufactures, and markets recreation products in the United States, Europe, the Asia-Pacific, Canada, and internationally. It operates through four segments: Propulsion, Engine P&A, Navico Group, and Boat. The Propulsion segment provides outboard, sterndrive, inboard engines, propulsion-related controls, rigging, and propellers for boat builders through marine retail dealers under the Mercury, Mercury MerCruiser, Mariner, Mercury Racing, Mercury Diesel, Avator, and Fliteboard brands.