Principal Financial Group Inc. Decreases Stake in Graham Holdings Company $GHC

Principal Financial Group Inc. cut its stake in shares of Graham Holdings Company (NYSE:GHC) by 18.6% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 9,112 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,086 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Graham were worth $9,634,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Graham by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 340,841 shares of the company’s stock valued at $374,448,000 after purchasing an additional 10,886 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its position in Graham by 4.7% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 135,173 shares of the company’s stock worth $127,897,000 after buying an additional 6,021 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Graham by 58.8% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 93,253 shares of the company’s stock valued at $88,233,000 after buying an additional 34,524 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Graham by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 87,169 shares of the company’s stock valued at $95,778,000 after buying an additional 3,105 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Graham by 33.7% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 84,923 shares of the company’s stock valued at $93,296,000 after acquiring an additional 21,427 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.16% of the company’s stock.

Graham Stock Up 0.9%

GHC stock opened at $1,153.35 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 1.79 and a quick ratio of 1.54. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $1,143.53 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1,119.67. Graham Holdings Company has a 12 month low of $908.39 and a 12 month high of $1,224.76. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.97 billion, a PE ratio of 17.07 and a beta of 0.72.

Graham (NYSE:GHC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $16.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $13.11 by $3.68. Graham had a return on equity of 5.40% and a net margin of 5.97%.The firm had revenue of $1.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.26 billion.

Graham Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 6th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 16th will be given a dividend of $1.88 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 16th. This represents a $7.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. Graham’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 11.13%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on GHC shares. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Graham in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Graham in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy”.

About Graham

Graham Corporation is a U.S.-based industrial equipment manufacturer specializing in the design and production of vacuum and heat transfer systems. The company’s core offerings include vacuum pumps, exhausters, and energy recovery turbines, as well as steam surface condensers and specialized heat exchangers. These products are engineered to support critical processes in industries that require controlled environments and efficient thermal management.

In addition to its standard product lines, Graham Corporation provides aftermarket services such as equipment installation, field maintenance, performance testing, and spare parts supply.