J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG Lowers Stake in Graco Inc. $GGG

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG cut its position in shares of Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG) by 52.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 10,225 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 11,450 shares during the quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG’s holdings in Graco were worth $869,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Graco during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $170,661,000. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Graco by 116.8% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 735,146 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $63,201,000 after buying an additional 396,125 shares during the period. Allianz Asset Management GmbH increased its position in shares of Graco by 55.7% in the second quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 693,111 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $59,587,000 after acquiring an additional 248,056 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. raised its stake in shares of Graco by 94.6% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 508,176 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $43,688,000 after acquiring an additional 246,984 shares during the period. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Graco by 3,165.4% during the 2nd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 249,703 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $21,467,000 after acquiring an additional 242,056 shares in the last quarter. 93.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on GGG. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on Graco from $97.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Robert W. Baird set a $96.00 target price on Graco in a research note on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Graco from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Graco in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, KeyCorp reiterated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Graco in a research note on Tuesday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $96.50.

Key Headlines Impacting Graco

Here are the key news stories impacting Graco this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies raised its price target to $105 and reiterated a Buy rating, signaling roughly 21% upside from recent levels. Jefferies raises price target to $105
• Positive Sentiment: RBC raised its target to $100 and keeps an Outperform rating, another vote of confidence from the sell-side. RBC raises target to $100 The Fly: RBC note
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted margin expansion driven by acquisition integration and operational discipline in Q4 — a concrete earnings-quality improvement that supports higher earnings power going forward. Q4 deep dive: margin expansion
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 results matched EPS estimates ($0.77) and revenue slightly beat consensus; revenue grew ~8% y/y — solid operational results but largely in line with expectations. Zacks: Q4 earnings match estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Full Q4 earnings call transcript and presentation are available for investors reviewing management commentary and acquisition details. Seeking Alpha: Q4 earnings call transcript Earnings presentation
• Negative Sentiment: Despite margin wins, management issued cautious growth guidance for 2026, which spurred investor concern and selling pressure reflected in above-average volume. Yahoo: Investors reacting to margin expansion and cautious guidance
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts present conflicting views on Graco’s trajectory versus peers, adding to mixed sentiment and limiting a clearer bullish consensus. Globe and Mail: conflicting analyst sentiments

Graco Stock Performance

Shares of GGG opened at $86.81 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $14.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.09. Graco Inc. has a one year low of $72.06 and a one year high of $89.67. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $83.98 and a 200 day moving average price of $83.94.

Graco (NYSE:GGG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, January 26th. The industrial products company reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.77. Graco had a return on equity of 19.49% and a net margin of 23.33%.The company had revenue of $593.16 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $591.99 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.64 EPS. Graco’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Graco Inc. will post 3.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Graco Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 4th. Investors of record on Monday, January 19th will be issued a $0.295 dividend. This is a boost from Graco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. This represents a $1.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 16th. Graco’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.27%.

Graco announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Friday, December 5th that authorizes the company to repurchase 15,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the industrial products company to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

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.