Fiera Capital Corp Cuts Position in Graco Inc. $GGG

Fiera Capital Corp lowered its holdings in Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG) by 3.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 4,349,382 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 137,714 shares during the quarter. Graco accounts for about 1.2% of Fiera Capital Corp’s holdings, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Fiera Capital Corp owned about 2.62% of Graco worth $369,523,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Graco by 15.6% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 330,409 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $27,592,000 after purchasing an additional 44,573 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in Graco by 982.6% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 498 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 452 shares in the last quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Graco during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $273,000. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale boosted its stake in shares of Graco by 4.5% during the 2nd quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 199,393 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $17,204,000 after acquiring an additional 8,556 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Forum Financial Management LP grew its holdings in shares of Graco by 10.4% in the 2nd quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 3,247 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $279,000 after acquiring an additional 306 shares during the period. 93.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GGG has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on Graco from $97.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. KeyCorp restated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Graco in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Graco from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Graco from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $96.00 price objective on shares of Graco in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Graco has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $96.50.

Graco Price Performance

NYSE:GGG opened at $92.99 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $15.37 billion, a PE ratio of 30.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.08. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $87.12 and a 200-day simple moving average of $84.68. Graco Inc. has a 1-year low of $72.06 and a 1-year high of $95.69.

Graco (NYSE:GGG) last announced its earnings results on Monday, January 26th. The industrial products company reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.77. Graco had a net margin of 23.33% and a return on equity of 19.49%. The firm had revenue of $593.16 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $591.99 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.64 earnings per share. Graco’s revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Graco Inc. will post 3.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Graco Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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 is Monday, April 13th. This represents a $1.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. Graco’s dividend payout ratio is 38.19%.

Graco announced that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Friday, December 5th that permits the company to buyback 15,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization permits the industrial products company to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Graco News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Graco this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised several near-term estimates (small upgrades that support modestly higher expectations): Q4 2027 EPS to $0.94 (from $0.93), Q2 2026 to $0.82 (from $0.80), Q1 2026 to $0.74 (from $0.73), and nudged FY2026 to $3.16 (from $3.15). These incremental upgrades signal slightly stronger near-term revenue/profit assumptions.
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks published a FY2028 EPS projection of $3.95, providing a multi-year growth view that could support a higher forward valuation if realized.
• Neutral Sentiment: Two insiders — Joseph Humke and Inge Grasdal — exercised options recently; reports show the exercises realized $0 proceeds. Insider option activity without sales is ambiguous for sentiment (not an outright insider sell or buy). Joseph Humke Exercises Inge Grasdal Exercises
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks also trimmed several near-term forecasts (small downgrades): Q4 2026 to $0.82 (from $0.84), Q1 2027 to $0.72 (from $0.73), Q2 2027 to $0.88 (from $0.89), and lowered FY2027 to $3.36 (from $3.37). The cuts are modest but contribute to mixed guidance and may weigh on sentiment given GGG’s current premium valuation (P/E ~30).
• Negative Sentiment: TipRanks/Market commentary highlighted a new risk disclosure around shifting U.S. and foreign tariffs — potential higher input costs, margin pressure, and demand impacts for global end markets. That policy risk can add uncertainty to margins and international sales assumptions. Tariff Risk Article

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Kathryn L. Schoenrock sold 2,223 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.06, for a total transaction of $195,757.38. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 7,846 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $690,918.76. This represents a 22.08% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director J Kevin Gilligan sold 12,870 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.07, for a total transaction of $1,146,330.90. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 19,394 shares of company stock valued at $1,739,326 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 2.19% of the company’s stock.

Graco Company Profile

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.