Brokerages Set Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG) Price Target at $93.50

Shares of Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the seven research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $95.00.

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Graco from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of Graco from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Robert W. Baird set a $94.00 target price on shares of Graco in a research note on Friday. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $85.00 price target on shares of Graco in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on Graco from $92.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday.

Graco News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Graco this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Graco posted record second-quarter sales and operating earnings, while adjusted EPS of $0.91 beat expectations, helping fuel buying in the stock. Graco (GGG) On Record Q2 Earnings And The Case For More Upside
• Positive Sentiment: Management’s third-quarter sales guidance and reaffirmed full-year outlook signaled confidence in demand trends, backlog growth, and a stronger second half. Graco Inc. Signals Stronger Second Half Ahead
• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada raised its price target on Graco to $96 from $92 and kept an outperform rating, reinforcing a bullish analyst view. Benzinga / The Fly analyst update
• Neutral Sentiment: William Blair maintained a Hold rating, saying improving orders and backlog are being offset by only modest near-term growth. Balanced Outlook for Graco
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles highlighted that revenue came in below some estimates even as profits and margins improved, making the earnings reaction more dependent on outlook than on top-line growth alone. Graco Surpasses Q2 Earnings Estimates, Reaffirms 2026 View

Insider Activity at Graco

In other news, Director Andrea Helen Simon bought 1,240 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The stock was bought at an average price of $80.53 per share, for a total transaction of $99,857.20. Following the transaction, the director owned 1,240 shares in the company, valued at $99,857.20. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 2.18% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Graco

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV lifted its position in shares of Graco by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 21,277 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,745,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Graco by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter. Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC now owns 41,431 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,562,000 after buying an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. ICW Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Graco by 5.2% during the 2nd quarter. ICW Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,723 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $234,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in Graco by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,813 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $231,000 after acquiring an additional 139 shares during the period. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC raised its stake in Graco by 43.2% during the first quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 504 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares during the period. 93.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Graco Stock Up 2.2%

Shares of GGG opened at $79.43 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $12.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.98, a PEG ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.93. The business’s 50 day moving average is $75.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $82.66. Graco has a 52-week low of $72.51 and a 52-week high of $95.69.

Graco (NYSE:GGG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The industrial products company reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.81 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $590.55 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $608.06 million. Graco had a net margin of 23.53% and a return on equity of 19.54%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.75 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Graco will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Graco Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.295 per share. This represents a $1.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 20th. Graco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.44%.

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.