WD-40 (NASDAQ:WDFC) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at William Blair

William Blair assumed coverage on shares of WD-40 (NASDAQ:WDFC) in a research note published on Monday morning, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The brokerage issued an outperform rating on the specialty chemicals company’s stock.

Separately, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of WD-40 in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $300.00.

WD-40 Trading Up 2.1%

NASDAQ:WDFC opened at $210.54 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $228.87 and a 200-day simple moving average of $209.26. The stock has a market cap of $2.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.05 and a beta of 0.25. WD-40 has a 1 year low of $175.38 and a 1 year high of $253.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 2.05 and a current ratio of 2.97.

WD-40 (NASDAQ:WDFC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 8th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.45 by ($0.27). The business had revenue of $154.42 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $155.10 million. WD-40 had a return on equity of 30.10% and a net margin of 14.42%.The company’s revenue was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.39 earnings per share. WD-40 has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.750-6.150 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that WD-40 will post 5.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

WD-40 Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Investors of record on Friday, April 17th will be given a $1.02 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 17th. This represents a $4.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. WD-40’s dividend payout ratio is 62.10%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director David Pendarvis bought 424 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $247.15 per share, with a total value of $104,791.60. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 6,898 shares in the company, valued at $1,704,840.70. This trade represents a 6.55% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.78% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of WD-40

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its position in WD-40 by 4,133.3% during the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 127 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the period. Quarry LP lifted its position in WD-40 by 1,462.5% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 125 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 117 shares during the period. HM Payson & Co. acquired a new stake in WD-40 during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its position in WD-40 by 340.5% during the 3rd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 163 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 126 shares during the period. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in WD-40 by 207.8% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 157 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the period. 91.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About WD-40

WD-40 Company, headquartered in San Diego, California, is best known for its flagship WD-40® Multi-Use Product, a water-displacing spray used for lubrication, rust prevention and cleaning. Since its introduction in 1953 by the Rocket Chemical Company, the WD-40 brand has become a household and industrial staple. Over time, the company has broadened its portfolio to include complementary maintenance and cleaning brands such as 3-IN-ONE® oils, Lava® hand cleaners, Solvol® solvents, Spot Shot® stain removers and X-14® cleaning products.

WD-40 Company distributes its products in more than 176 countries through retail, industrial and automotive channels.