Zacks Research Has Optimistic Outlook of Graco Q1 Earnings

Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG) – Research analysts at Zacks Research raised their Q1 2026 EPS estimates for shares of Graco in a research report issued on Monday, February 16th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the industrial products company will post earnings per share of $0.74 for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $0.73. The consensus estimate for Graco’s current full-year earnings is $3.06 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Graco’s Q2 2026 earnings at $0.82 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $0.82 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $3.16 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.72 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $0.88 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $0.94 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $3.36 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $3.95 EPS.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. KeyCorp reiterated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Graco in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Robert W. Baird set a $96.00 price objective on Graco in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on Graco from $97.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Graco from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, DA Davidson restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $85.00 target price on shares of Graco in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $96.50.

Graco Stock Down 0.9%

NYSE:GGG opened at $93.43 on Wednesday. Graco has a 52-week low of $72.06 and a 52-week high of $95.69. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $86.94 and a 200-day simple moving average of $84.63. The company has a market capitalization of $15.49 billion, a PE ratio of 30.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 1.08.

Graco (NYSE:GGG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, January 26th. The industrial products company reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.77. Graco had a return on equity of 19.49% and a net margin of 23.33%.The firm had revenue of $593.16 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $591.99 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.64 earnings per share. Graco’s revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year.

Graco declared that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Friday, December 5th that allows the company to repurchase 15,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization allows the industrial products company to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Graco Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Monday, April 13th will be given a dividend of $0.295 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 13th. This represents a $1.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. Graco’s payout ratio is 38.19%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Timothy R. White sold 1,469 shares of Graco stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.70, for a total transaction of $133,238.30. Following the sale, the insider owned 51,430 shares in the company, valued at $4,664,701. This trade represents a 2.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director J Kevin Gilligan sold 12,870 shares of Graco stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.07, for a total transaction of $1,146,330.90. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 19,394 shares of company stock worth $1,739,326 in the last 90 days. 2.19% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Graco

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in Graco during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. NewSquare Capital LLC grew its stake in Graco by 320.7% in the second quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 345 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 263 shares in the last quarter. CX Institutional increased its holdings in Graco by 316.7% in the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 475 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 361 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. raised its stake in Graco by 42.6% during the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 465 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Field & Main Bank bought a new position in Graco during the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,000. Institutional investors own 93.88% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Graco

Here are the key news stories impacting Graco this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised several near-term and longer-term earnings forecasts (notably Q1 2026 to $0.74, Q2 2026 to $0.82, Q4 2027 to $0.94 and FY2026 to $3.16), signaling modest improvement in expected profitability and reinforcing a steady growth view.
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple insiders reported option exercises that, per filings cited in media reports, showed no reported cash realized — this appears to be administrative exercising rather than large insider selling, so it’s more neutral than a sell signal. Insider Decision Making Waves At Graco: Joseph Humke Exercises Options, Realizing $0
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks also trimmed several near-term estimates (Q4 2026 to $0.82 from $0.84, Q1 2027 to $0.72, Q2 2027 to $0.88 and slightly cut FY2027 to $3.36), indicating some moderation in expected quarter-to-quarter momentum that can pressure the multiple.
• Negative Sentiment: An analyst write-up highlighted tariff and trade-policy exposure for Graco, calling out potential headwinds to costs, margins and global demand — a macro/regulatory risk that could weigh on sentiment if tariffs or trade tensions rise. Tariff Turbulence: How Shifting Trade Policies Threaten Graco Inc.’s Costs, Margins and Global Demand

About Graco

Graco Inc is a leading manufacturer of fluid handling systems and components, headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Founded in 1926, the company has built a reputation for innovation in spray finishing, lubrication, and fluid management technologies. Graco’s solutions are designed to address the needs of paint and coatings applicators, general industry, and process fluids in a variety of end markets.

The company’s product portfolio includes airless and air-assisted spray equipment, pumps for oil and gas applications, industrial lubrication systems, and automated dispensing equipment.