SG Americas Securities LLC Boosts Holdings in Graco Inc. $GGG

SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG) by 186.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 123,655 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 80,421 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC owned about 0.07% of Graco worth $10,136,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of GGG. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Graco during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Assetmark Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Graco by 42.6% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 465 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares during the last quarter. CX Institutional boosted its position in shares of Graco by 316.7% in the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 475 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 361 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Graco by 982.6% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 498 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 452 shares during the period. Finally, TD Private Client Wealth LLC grew its stake in Graco by 116.9% during the 3rd quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 514 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 277 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.88% of the company’s stock.

Graco Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of GGG stock opened at $83.82 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $89.56 and its 200 day moving average price is $85.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.90 billion, a PE ratio of 27.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 1.07. Graco Inc. has a 52-week low of $72.06 and a 52-week 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 for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.77. The company had revenue of $593.16 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $591.99 million. Graco had a return on equity of 19.49% and a net margin of 23.33%.The company’s revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.64 EPS. Analysts expect that Graco Inc. will post 3.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Graco Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Monday, April 13th will be given a $0.295 dividend. This represents a $1.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 13th. Graco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.19%.

Graco announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Friday, December 5th that allows the company to repurchase 15,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization allows the industrial products company to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insider Activity

In other Graco news, insider Timothy R. White sold 1,469 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the insider owned 51,430 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,664,701. This represents a 2.78% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Angela F. Wordell sold 2,832 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.22, for a total transaction of $263,999.04. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 13,360 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,245,419.20. This trade represents a 17.49% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 19,394 shares of company stock valued at $1,739,326. 2.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Graco 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.