Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Sells 70,200 Shares of Graco Inc. $GGG

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. lowered its position in Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG) by 20.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 273,376 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 70,200 shares during the period. Epoch Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings in Graco were worth $23,141,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in GGG. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV increased its stake in 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 valued at $1,745,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Graco by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC now owns 41,431 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,562,000 after buying an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. ICW Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Graco by 5.2% in the 2nd quarter. ICW Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,723 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $234,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in shares of Graco by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,813 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $231,000 after acquiring an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Graco by 43.2% in the first quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 504 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. 93.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Graco News Roundup

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

In other news, Director Andrea Helen Simon bought 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 completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 1,240 shares in the company, valued at $99,857.20. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 2.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently commented on GGG. Wolfe Research lowered Graco from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Graco from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Robert W. Baird set a $94.00 price objective on Graco in a research note on Friday. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on Graco from $92.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $85.00 target price on shares of Graco in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $95.00.

Graco Stock Up 2.2%

Graco stock opened at $79.43 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $75.07 and a 200-day moving average price of $82.66. Graco Inc. has a twelve month low of $72.51 and a twelve month high of $95.69. The company has a market capitalization of $12.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.93.

Graco (NYSE:GGG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The industrial products company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $608.06 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.75 EPS. Graco’s revenue was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Graco Inc. will post 3.1 EPS 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 given a $0.295 dividend. 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 37.11%.

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.