Gamco Investors INC. ET AL Sells 21,789 Shares of Graco Inc. $GGG

Gamco Investors INC. ET AL lowered its holdings in shares of Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG) by 3.1% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 686,806 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 21,789 shares during the quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL’s holdings in Graco were worth $58,138,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of GGG. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Graco during the 4th quarter worth approximately $161,949,000. Bank of Montreal Can raised its holdings in Graco by 1,636.9% during the 4th quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 1,011,196 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $82,888,000 after buying an additional 952,977 shares during the period. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec raised its holdings in Graco by 236.4% during the 3rd quarter. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec now owns 1,279,553 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $108,711,000 after buying an additional 899,174 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its stake in Graco by 20,706.4% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 556,362 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $45,605,000 after buying an additional 553,688 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its holdings in shares of Graco by 80.6% in the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 954,347 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $80,785,000 after buying an additional 426,001 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.88% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Graco

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 Buying and Selling

In other Graco news, Director Andrea Helen Simon purchased 1,240 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $80.53 per share, for a total transaction of $99,857.20. Following the purchase, the director owned 1,240 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $99,857.20. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.18% of the company’s stock.

Graco Stock Performance

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

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

Graco Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Investors of record on Monday, July 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.295 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 20th. This represents a $1.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. Graco’s dividend payout ratio is presently 38.44%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Graco from $92.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. Wolfe Research cut shares of Graco from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Graco from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday. DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $85.00 target price on shares of Graco in a report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $94.00 price target on Graco in a research note on Friday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Graco has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $95.00.

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.