Graco Inc. (GGG) – What Are Analysts Thinking About This Stock?

Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the seven research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $95.00.

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on GGG shares. Weiss Ratings raised Graco from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on Graco from $92.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $85.00 price target on shares of Graco in a report on Monday, July 27th. Wolfe Research lowered Graco from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $94.00 price objective on Graco in a research report on Friday, July 24th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Root Financial Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Graco by 43.2% in the 1st quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 504 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares during the period. Essential Partners LLC raised its position in Graco by 78.6% in the 1st quarter. Essential Partners LLC now owns 359 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 158 shares during the last quarter. CWS Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in Graco by 2.8% in the 1st quarter. CWS Financial Advisors LLC now owns 7,022 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $594,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares during the last quarter. Aristides Capital LLC boosted its stake in Graco by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Aristides Capital LLC now owns 4,720 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $387,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares during the period. Finally, Fulton Bank N.A. grew its position in Graco by 5.0% during the 2nd quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 5,270 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $398,000 after purchasing an additional 249 shares during the last quarter. 93.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Graco Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of GGG stock opened at $78.22 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $79.07 and its 200-day moving average price is $78.79. Graco has a 12-month low of $72.51 and a 12-month high of $95.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.89.

Graco (NYSE:GGG) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The industrial products company reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.81 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $590.55 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $608.06 million. Graco had a net margin of 23.53% and a return on equity of 19.54%. Graco’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.75 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Graco will post 3.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Graco Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 4th. Investors of record on Monday, October 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.2950 per share. This represents a $1.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, October 19th. Graco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.11%.

About Graco

Graco Inc is a Minneapolis-based manufacturer of equipment used to manage, measure, control and apply fluids and coatings. Its products are used in industrial, commercial and residential applications, including fluid handling, lubrication, dispensing, sealing, bonding, painting and corrosion protection.

The company’s product portfolio includes pumps, valves, meters, regulators, controls, proportioning systems and spray equipment. Graco also supplies equipment for paint and texture application, protective coatings, sealants and adhesives, vehicle servicing, and the automated lubrication of machinery.