Shelton Capital Management Sells 311 Shares of Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG)

Shelton Capital Management reduced its holdings in Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG) by 4.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,376 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 311 shares during the quarter. Shelton Capital Management’s holdings in Graco were worth $537,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Graco in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Graco by 118.0% during the fourth quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 351 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 190 shares during the period. National Pension Service acquired a new position in shares of Graco during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Graco during the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group boosted its position in shares of Graco by 39.1% during the fourth quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 484 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 136 shares during the period. 93.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Graco Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE GGG opened at $79.08 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $83.84 and a 200 day moving average price of $85.26. Graco Inc. has a 52 week low of $72.06 and a 52 week high of $92.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.30 billion, a PE ratio of 28.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.92.

Graco (NYSE:GGG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, January 27th. The industrial products company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.77 by ($0.13). Graco had a net margin of 23.00% and a return on equity of 19.38%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Graco Inc. will post 3.06 EPS for the current year.

Graco Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 14th will be paid a $0.275 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 14th. This represents a $1.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.39%. Graco’s dividend payout ratio is 39.01%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on GGG shares. BNP Paribas raised Graco from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $105.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. DA Davidson set a $85.00 price objective on Graco in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Graco from $93.00 to $97.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Graco has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $93.00.

Graco Profile

Graco Inc designs, manufactures, and markets systems and equipment used to move, measure, control, dispense, and spray fluid and powder materials worldwide. The Contractor segment offers sprayers to apply paint to walls and other structures; two-component proportioning systems that are used to spray polyurethane foam and polyurea coatings; and viscous coatings to roofs, as well as markings on roads, parking lots, athletic fields, and floors.