Graham (NYSE:GHC) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – Should You Buy?

Graham Holdings Company (NYSE:GHC) shares saw unusually-high trading volume on Friday . Approximately 19,049 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 9% from the previous session’s volume of 17,449 shares.The stock last traded at $1,049.26 and had previously closed at $1,064.34.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have weighed in on GHC. Wall Street Zen downgraded Graham from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Graham in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Graham presently has an average rating of “Buy”.

Graham Stock Down 2.5%

The company has a market cap of $4.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.63 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.53. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $1,105.22 and a 200 day moving average price of $1,096.19.

Graham (NYSE:GHC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported $11.45 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $14.05 by ($2.60). Graham had a return on equity of 5.03% and a net margin of 5.95%.The firm had revenue of $1.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.30 billion.

Graham Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 7th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 16th will be issued a $1.88 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 16th. This represents a $7.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. Graham’s payout ratio is currently 11.33%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Graham

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in GHC. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Graham by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 340,841 shares of the company’s stock worth $374,448,000 after purchasing an additional 10,886 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Graham by 4.7% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 135,173 shares of the company’s stock worth $127,897,000 after purchasing an additional 6,021 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Graham by 58.8% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 93,253 shares of the company’s stock valued at $88,233,000 after purchasing an additional 34,524 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Graham by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 87,169 shares of the company’s stock worth $95,778,000 after purchasing an additional 3,105 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in Graham by 33.7% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 84,923 shares of the company’s stock worth $93,296,000 after purchasing an additional 21,427 shares during the period. 93.16% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Graham Company Profile

Graham Corporation is a U.S.-based industrial equipment manufacturer specializing in the design and production of vacuum and heat transfer systems. The company’s core offerings include vacuum pumps, exhausters, and energy recovery turbines, as well as steam surface condensers and specialized heat exchangers. These products are engineered to support critical processes in industries that require controlled environments and efficient thermal management.

In addition to its standard product lines, Graham Corporation provides aftermarket services such as equipment installation, field maintenance, performance testing, and spare parts supply.