Brady CorporationNYSE: BRC

Brady Corporation Reports Fiscal 2026 First Quarter Results and Raises the Low End of its Fiscal 2026 Adjusted Diluted EPS Guidance

· Issued by Brady Corporation via GlobeNewswire
  • Sales for the quarter increased 7.5 percent. Organic sales increased 2.8 percent, acquisitions increased sales 3.2 percent, and foreign currency increased sales 1.5 percent.

  • Diluted EPS increased 16.5 percent to $1.13 in the first quarter of fiscal 2026 compared to $0.97 in the same quarter of the prior year. Adjusted Diluted EPS* increased 8.0 percent to $1.21 in the first quarter of fiscal 2026 compared to $1.12 in the same quarter of the prior year.

  • Cash flow from operating activities increased 42.5 percent to $33.4 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2026 compared to $23.4 million in the same quarter of the prior year.

  • The low end of Adjusted Diluted EPS* guidance was raised for the full year ending July 31, 2026 from the previous range of $4.85 to $5.15 per share to the new range of $4.90 to $5.15 per share. GAAP earnings per diluted Class A Nonvoting Common share guidance for the full year ending July 31, 2026 was adjusted for acquisition-related amortization to $4.57 to $4.82 per share, from $4.55 to $4.85 per share.

MILWAUKEE, Nov. 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Brady Corporation (NYSE: BRC) (“Brady” or “Company”), a world leader in identification solutions, today reported its financial results for its fiscal 2026 first quarter ended October 31, 2025.

Quarter Ended October 31, 2025 Financial Results:
Sales for the quarter ended October 31, 2025 increased 7.5 percent, which consisted of an organic sales increase of 2.8 percent, an increase of 3.2 percent from acquisitions and an increase of 1.5 percent from foreign currency translation. Sales for the quarter ended October 31, 2025 were $405.3 million compared to $377.1 million in the same quarter last year. By region, sales increased 9.6 percent in the Americas & Asia and increased 3.6 percent in Europe & Australia, which included organic sales growth of 4.7 percent in the Americas & Asia and an organic sales decline of 0.8 percent in Europe & Australia.

Income before income taxes increased 16.5 percent to $68.5 million in the quarter ended October 31, 2025 compared to $58.8 million in the same quarter last year. Adjusted Income Before Income Taxes* in the quarter ended October 31, 2025, which was adjusted for amortization expense of $5.3 million, was $73.8 million, an increase of 7.6 percent compared to the first quarter of last year. Adjusted Income Before Income Taxes* in the quarter ended October 31, 2024, which was adjusted for amortization expense and other acquisition-related charges of $9.8 million, was $68.6 million.

Net income in the quarter ended October 31, 2025 was $53.9 million compared to $46.8 million in the same quarter last year. Earnings per diluted Class A Nonvoting Common Share was $1.13 in the first quarter of fiscal 2025 compared to $0.97 in the same quarter last year. Adjusted Net Income* in the quarter ended October 31, 2025 was $58.0 million compared to $54.2 million in the same quarter last year. Adjusted Diluted EPS* in the quarter ended October 31, 2025 was $1.21 compared to $1.12 in the same quarter last year.

Commentary:
“Our investments in research and development continue to add value for our customers and drive organic sales growth. We reported strong organic sales growth in the Americas & Asia region, and our Europe & Australia region reported a significant improvement in segment profit in the quarter,” said Brady’s President and CEO, Russell R. Shaller. “We also closed on the acquisition of Mecco at the beginning of the quarter, which is an exciting addition to our laser marking system product line. Mecco is a natural complement to our acquisition of Gravotech that we closed last year, and we’re looking forward to the future through the combination of these businesses.”

“We generated adjusted EPS of $1.21, which represented 8.0 percent growth compared to last year’s first quarter. This improvement was driven by our organic sales growth and continued gross profit margin expansion throughout our organic businesses,” said Brady’s Chief Financial Officer, Ann Thornton. “We are in a net cash position of $66.8 million as of October 31, 2025, which allows us to continue to make strategic investments in both organic and inorganic opportunities to drive long-term shareholder value while returning funds to our shareholders through dividends and share buybacks.”

Fiscal 2026 Guidance:
The Company raised the low end of its Adjusted Diluted EPS* guidance for the year ending July 31, 2026 from $4.85 to $5.15 per share to $4.90 to $5.15 per share. The Company’s GAAP earnings per diluted Class A Nonvoting Common Share guidance for the year ending July 31, 2026 was updated for acquisition-related amortization to $4.57 to $4.82 per share, from $4.55 to $4.85 per share.

The other assumptions included in our fiscal 2026 guidance include a full-year income tax rate of approximately 21 percent, depreciation and amortization expense of approximately $44 million, and capital expenditures of approximately $40 million. Our fiscal 2026 guidance is based on foreign currency exchange rates as of October 31, 2025 and assumes continued economic growth.

A webcast regarding Brady’s fiscal 2026 first quarter financial results will be available at www.bradycorp.com/investors beginning at 9:30 a.m. central time today.

Brady Corporation is an international manufacturer and marketer of complete solutions that identify and protect people, products and places. Brady’s products help customers increase safety, security, productivity and performance and include high-performance labels, signs, safety devices, printing systems and software. Founded in 1914, the Company has a diverse customer base in electronics, telecommunications, manufacturing, electrical, construction, medical, aerospace and a variety of other industries. Brady is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and as of July 31, 2025, employed approximately 6,400 people in its worldwide businesses. Brady’s fiscal 2025 sales were approximately $1.51 billion. Brady stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol BRC. More information is available on the Internet at www.bradyid.com.

* Adjusted Income Before Income Taxes, Adjusted Net Income, and Adjusted Diluted EPS are non-GAAP measures. See appendix for more information on these measures, including reconciliations to the most directly comparable GAAP measures.

In this news release, statements that are not reported financial results or other historic information are “forward-looking statements.” These forward-looking statements relate to, among other things, the Company's future financial position, business strategy, targets, projected sales, costs, earnings, capital expenditures, debt levels and cash flows, and plans and objectives of management for future operations.

The use of words such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “intend,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “should,” “project,” “plan” or similar terminology are generally intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements by their nature address matters that are, to different degrees, uncertain and are subject to risks, assumptions, and other factors, some of which are beyond Brady’s control, that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. For Brady, uncertainties arise from: increased cost of materials, labor, material shortages and supply chain disruptions, including as a result of tariffs or other impacts of the global trade environment; decreased demand for our products; our ability to compete effectively or to successfully execute our strategy; our ability to develop technologically advanced products that meet customer demands; Brady’s ability to identify, integrate and grow acquired companies, and to manage contingent liabilities from divested businesses; difficulties in protecting our websites, networks, and systems against security breaches; extensive regulations by U.S. and non-U.S. governmental and self-regulatory entities; risks associated with the loss of key employees; litigation, including product liability claims; global climate change and environmental regulations; foreign currency fluctuations; changes in tax legislation and tax rates; potential write-offs of goodwill and other intangible assets; differing interests of voting and non-voting shareholders and changes in the regulatory and business environment around dual-class voting structures; numerous other matters of national, regional and global scale, including major public health crises and government responses thereto and those of a political, economic, business, competitive, and regulatory nature contained from time to time in Brady’s U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including, but not limited to, those factors listed in the “Risk Factors” section within Item 1A of Part I of Brady’s Form 10-K for the year ended July 31, 2025.

These uncertainties may cause Brady's actual future results to be materially different than those expressed in its forward-looking statements. Brady does not undertake to update its forward-looking statements except as required by law.

For More Information:
Investor contact: Ann Thornton 414-438-6887
Media contact: Kate Venne 414-358-5176

BRADY CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF EARNINGS

(Unaudited; Dollars in thousands, except per share data)

Three months ended October 31,

2025

2024

Net sales

$

405,287

$

377,065

Cost of goods sold

196,455

187,376

Gross margin

208,832

189,689

Operating expenses:

Research and development

23,292

18,921

Selling, general and administrative

117,568

111,846

Total operating expenses

140,860

130,767

Operating income

67,972

58,922

Other income (expense):

Investment and other income

1,712

1,234

Interest expense

(1,208

)

(1,356

)

Income before income taxes

68,476

58,800

Income tax expense

14,540

12,017

Net income

$

53,936

$

46,783

Net income per Class A Nonvoting Common Share:

Basic

$

1.14

$

0.98

Diluted

$

1.13

$

0.97

Net income per Class B Voting Common Share:

Basic

$

1.13

$

0.96

Diluted

$

1.11

$

0.95

Weighted average common shares outstanding:

Basic

47,273

47,732

Diluted

47,731

48,217

BRADY CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(Dollars in thousands)

October 31, 2025

July 31, 2025

(Unaudited)

ASSETS

Current assets:

Cash and cash equivalents

$

182,684

$

174,349

Accounts receivable, net of allowance for credit losses of $7,253 and $7,876, respectively

248,551

231,944

Inventories

215,568

200,881

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

15,568

14,661

Total current assets

662,371

621,835

Property, plant and equipment—net

232,522

225,572

Goodwill

681,721

676,945

Other intangible assets

114,932

105,374

Deferred income taxes

18,495

20,862

Operating lease assets

60,350

58,422

Other assets

24,283

25,243

Total

$

1,794,674

$

1,734,253

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

Current liabilities:

Accounts payable

$

103,804

$

105,028

Accrued compensation and benefits

69,886

92,657

Taxes, other than income taxes

22,933

21,537

Accrued income taxes

6,812

5,547

Current operating lease liabilities

16,590

15,234

Other current liabilities

100,683

90,329

Total current liabilities

320,708

330,332

Long-term debt

115,906

99,766

Long-term operating lease liabilities

44,288

43,565

Other liabilities

68,952

68,379

Total liabilities

549,854

542,042

Stockholders’ equity:

Common stock:

Class A nonvoting common stock—Issued 51,261,487 shares, and outstanding 43,666,121 and 43,530,012 shares, respectively

513

513

Class B voting common stock—Issued and outstanding, 3,538,628 shares

35

35

Additional paid-in capital

359,690

359,269

Retained earnings

1,360,156

1,317,739

Treasury stock—7,595,366 and 7,731,475 shares, respectively, of Class A nonvoting common stock, at cost

(388,847

)

(393,186

)

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

(86,727

)

(92,159

)

Total stockholders’ equity

1,244,820

1,192,211

Total

$

1,794,674

$

1,734,253

BRADY CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(Unaudited; Dollars in thousands)

Three months ended October 31,

2025

2024

Operating activities:

Net income

$

53,936

$

46,783

Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:

Depreciation and amortization

11,008

10,164

Stock-based compensation expense

6,746

5,813

Deferred income taxes

3,973

(903

)

Other

223

(880

)

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

Accounts receivable

(12,875

)

(4,385

)

Inventories

(10,980

)

(2,107

)

Prepaid expenses and other assets

(391

)

(1,136

)

Accounts payable and accrued liabilities

(19,530

)

(33,960

)

Income taxes

1,246

4,017

 Net cash provided by operating activities

33,356

23,406

Investing activities:

Purchases of property, plant and equipment

(10,980

)

(7,286

)

Acquisition of businesses, net of cash acquired

(17,416

)

(140,625

)

Other

8

10

 Net cash used in investing activities

(28,388

)

(147,901

)

Financing activities:

Payment of dividends

(11,519

)

(11,402

)

Proceeds from exercise of stock options

5,001

5,855

Payments for employee taxes withheld from stock-based awards

(3,198

)

(2,090

)

Purchase of treasury stock

(4,054

)

—

Proceeds from borrowing on credit agreement

46,640

135,149

Repayment of borrowing on credit agreement

(30,500

)

(109,439

)

Other

266

190

 Net cash provided by financing activities

2,636

18,263

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash

731

1,775

Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents

8,335

(104,457

)

Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period

174,349

250,118

Cash and cash equivalents, end of period

$

182,684

$

145,661

BRADY CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

SEGMENT INFORMATION

(Unaudited; Dollars in thousands)

Three months ended October 31,

2025

2024

NET SALES

Americas & Asia

$

268,893

$

245,428

Europe & Australia

136,394

131,637

Total

$

405,287

$

377,065

SALES INFORMATION

Americas & Asia

Organic

4.7

%

5.1

%

Acquisitions

4.9

%

7.4

%

Currency

—

%

(0.2

)%

Divestiture

—

%

(1.6

)%

Total

9.6

%

10.7

%

Europe & Australia

Organic

(0.8

)%

0.7

%

Acquisitions

—

%

15.0

%

Currency

4.4

%

3.6

%

Total

3.6

%

19.3

%

Total Company

Organic

2.8

%

3.6

%

Acquisitions

3.2

%

9.9

%

Currency

1.5

%

1.2

%

Divestiture

—

%

(1.1

)%

Total

7.5

%

13.6

%

SEGMENT PROFIT

Americas & Asia

$

59,863

$

54,900

Europe & Australia

18,732

13,114

Total

$

78,595

$

68,014

SEGMENT PROFIT AS A PERCENT OF NET SALES

Americas & Asia

22.3

%

22.4

%

Europe & Australia

13.7

%

10.0

%

Total

19.4

%

18.0

%

Three months ended October 31,

2025

2024

Total segment profit

$

78,595

$

68,014

Unallocated amounts:

Administrative costs

(10,623

)

(9,092

)

Investment and other income

1,712

1,234

Interest expense

(1,208

)

(1,356

)

Income before income taxes

$

68,476

$

58,800

GAAP to NON-GAAP MEASURES

(Unaudited; Dollars in Thousands, Except Per Share Amounts)

In accordance with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Regulation G, the following provides definitions of the non-GAAP measures used in the earnings release and the reconciliation to the most closely related GAAP measure.

Adjusted Income Before Income Taxes:

Brady is presenting the non-GAAP measure, "Adjusted Income Before Income Taxes." This is not a calculation based upon GAAP. The amounts included in this non-GAAP measure are derived from amounts included in the Consolidated Financial Statements and supporting footnote disclosures. We do not view these items to be part of our ongoing results. We believe this profit measure provides an important perspective of underlying business trends and results and provides a more comparable measure from year to year. The table below provides a reconciliation of the GAAP measure of Income before income taxes to the non-GAAP measure of Adjusted Income Before Income Taxes:

Three months ended October 31,

2025

2024

Income before income taxes (GAAP measure)

$

68,476

$

58,800

Amortization expense

5,341

4,713

Non-recurring acquisition-related costs and other expenses

-

5,059

Adjusted Income Before Income Taxes (non-GAAP measure)

$

73,817

$

68,572

Adjusted Income Tax Expense:

Brady is presenting the non-GAAP measure, "Adjusted Income Tax Expense." This is not a calculation based upon GAAP. The amounts included in this non-GAAP measure are derived from amounts included in the Consolidated Financial Statements and supporting footnote disclosures. We do not view these items to be part of our ongoing results. We believe this measure provides an important perspective of underlying business trends and results and provides a more comparable measure from year to year. The table below provides a reconciliation of the GAAP measure of Income tax expense to the non-GAAP measure of Adjusted Income Tax Expense:

Three months ended October 31,

2025

2024

Income tax expense (GAAP measure)

$

14,540

$

12,017

Amortization expense

1,289

1,133

Non-recurring acquisition-related costs and other expenses

-

1,265

Adjusted Income Tax Expense (non-GAAP measure)

$

15,829

$

14,415

Adjusted Net Income:

Brady is presenting the non-GAAP measure, "Adjusted Net Income." This is not a calculation based upon GAAP. The amounts included in this non-GAAP measure are derived from amounts included in the Consolidated Financial Statements and supporting footnote disclosures. We do not view these items to be part of our ongoing results. We believe this measure provides an important perspective of underlying business trends and results and provides a more comparable measure from year to year. The table below provides a reconciliation of the GAAP measure of Net income to the non-GAAP measure of Adjusted Net Income:

Three months ended October 31,

2025

2024

Net income (GAAP measure)

$

53,936

$

46,783

Amortization expense

4,052

3,580

Non-recurring acquisition-related costs and other expenses

-

3,794

Adjusted Net Income (non-GAAP measure)

$

57,988

$

54,157

Adjusted Diluted EPS:

Brady is presenting the non-GAAP measure, "Adjusted Diluted EPS." This is not a calculation based upon GAAP. The amounts included in this non-GAAP measure are derived from amounts included in the Consolidated Financial Statements. We do not view these items to be part of our ongoing results. We believe this measure provides an important perspective of underlying business trends and results and provides a more comparable measure from year to year. The table below provides a reconciliation of the GAAP measure of Net income per Class A Nonvoting Common Share to the non-GAAP measure of Adjusted Diluted EPS (Note that certain amounts will not foot due to rounding):

Three months ended October 31,

2025

2024

Net income per Class A Nonvoting Common Share (GAAP measure)

$

1.13

$

0.97

Amortization expense

0.08

0.07

Non-recurring acquisition-related costs and other expenses

-

0.08

Adjusted Diluted EPS (non-GAAP measure)

$

1.21

$

1.12

Diluted EPS Excluding Certain Items Guidance:

Fiscal 2026 Expectations

Low

High

Earnings per diluted Class A Common Share (GAAP measure)

$

4.57

$

4.82

Amortization expense

0.33

0.33

Adjusted Diluted EPS (non-GAAP measure)

$

4.90

$

5.15

Company analysis