Brunswick (NYSE:BC) Announces Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.83 EPS

Brunswick (NYSE:BC) posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The company reported $0.70 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.53 by ($0.83), Zacks reports. Brunswick had a negative net margin of 2.56% and a positive return on equity of 12.22%. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.56 earnings per share. Brunswick’s revenue was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. Brunswick updated its FY 2026 guidance to 4.000-4.50 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance to 1.100-1.20 EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from Brunswick’s conference call:

• Brunswick delivered a strong Q1 with $1.4B in net sales (+13%) and adjusted EPS of $0.70 (+25%), and raised full‑year adjusted EPS guidance to $4.00–$4.50 driven by operating leverage and lower‑than‑expected incremental tariffs.
• Market‑share and product momentum is broad‑based—Mercury outboard orders were >15% higher, trade‑show shares were record high, R12 retail share rose 200 bps, and accelerated new high‑horsepower and mid‑range platforms should support further share gains.
• Tariff and geopolitical uncertainty remain meaningful—Brunswick still expects a material Q2 tariff headwind (full‑year incremental impact now expected near the low end of the prior $35–$45M range), IEPA refund (~$50M estimate) is not included in outlook, and Middle East volatility could pressure demand outside the U.S.
• Strong capital allocation and recurring‑revenue growth—$20M of share repurchases YTD, the 14th consecutive dividend increase, and continued Freedom Boat Club expansion (now 446 locations; recent acquisition adds 21 locations and is day‑1 accretive) supporting recurring revenue and cross‑sell synergies.

Brunswick Price Performance

Shares of BC stock traded up $0.17 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $79.52. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,123,606 shares, compared to its average volume of 983,208. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. The business has a fifty day moving average of $76.38 and a 200-day moving average of $75.38. Brunswick has a twelve month low of $45.44 and a twelve month high of $90.25. The stock has a market cap of $5.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -37.51 and a beta of 1.38.

Brunswick Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 23rd were issued a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. This is a boost from Brunswick’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 23rd. Brunswick’s payout ratio is currently -83.02%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Brunswick news, CEO David M. Foulkes sold 38,266 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $86.56, for a total transaction of $3,312,304.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 271,169 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,472,388.64. This trade represents a 12.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Christopher F. Dekker sold 4,981 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.38, for a total value of $435,239.78. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 39,740 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,472,481.20. The trade was a 11.14% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.99% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Brunswick by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,848,415 shares of the company’s stock valued at $211,469,000 after purchasing an additional 98,972 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP grew its holdings in Brunswick by 30.6% in the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,921,479 shares of the company’s stock valued at $142,651,000 after buying an additional 449,943 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its stake in shares of Brunswick by 23.2% during the 2nd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,420,922 shares of the company’s stock valued at $78,492,000 after acquiring an additional 267,479 shares during the last quarter. Channing Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Brunswick by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. Channing Capital Management LLC now owns 1,244,528 shares of the company’s stock worth $92,394,000 after acquiring an additional 62,202 shares during the period. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Brunswick by 36.4% in the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,194,295 shares of the company’s stock worth $88,664,000 after acquiring an additional 318,465 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.34% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on BC shares. Jefferies Financial Group set a $115.00 price target on Brunswick and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. DA Davidson lifted their price target on Brunswick from $68.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Robert W. Baird set a $85.00 target price on Brunswick in a report on Friday, January 30th. Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of Brunswick from $92.00 to $93.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $82.00 price objective on shares of Brunswick in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $86.71.

Key Brunswick News

Here are the key news stories impacting Brunswick this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 revenue growth was strong: Brunswick reported revenue up ~12.8% year‑over‑year, and some outlets/consensus models flagged an earnings print that beat narrower/low estimates — giving evidence of demand resilience across its marine portfolio. Brunswick (BC) Surpasses Q1 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Fresh institutional/benchmark attention (Russell 1000 coverage mention) could support demand for shares from index‑tracking funds and raise visibility. Brunswick Gains Fresh Russell 1000 Market Attention
• Neutral Sentiment: Company released full Q1 materials (press release, slide deck) and hosted an earnings call; the transcript and presentation provide detail on segment trends and inventory/dealer dynamics for investors to parse. Market reaction reflects mixed reads — beat some low-model estimates but missed broader Street consensus on EPS. Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript Earnings Call Presentation
• Negative Sentiment: Management issued a softer Q2 outlook: Q2 EPS guide of $1.10–$1.20 vs. Street ~$1.53, and FY 2026 EPS guide $4.00–$4.50 (around or slightly below some consensus models). The weaker near‑term guide is the principal driver of downside risk to the shares. Brunswick tops Q1 expectations but issues softer Q2 outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Headline EPS confusion: several outlets reported Q1 EPS of $0.70 missed the broader Wall Street consensus (~$1.53), and the company showed a negative net margin for the quarter — fueling sell‑side re‑rating risk until guidance clarity arrives. MarketBeat Q1 Coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Notable insider and institutional selling noted in recent filings (highlighted by QuiverQuant), which can weigh on sentiment if sustained. QuiverQuant Q1 Summary & Insider Activity

Brunswick Company Profile

Founded in 1845 by John Moses Brunswick, Brunswick Corporation is a global leader in recreation products. Headquartered in Mettawa, Illinois, the company has evolved from its origins as a billiard table manufacturer into a diversified supplier of leisure equipment, serving both consumer and commercial markets around the world.

Brunswick operates through two primary segments: Marine and Bowling & Billiards. In its Marine segment, the company designs, manufactures and distributes recreational boats, outboard engines and aftermarket parts under recognized brands such as Sea Ray, Bayliner and Mercury Marine.