Graco Inc. $GGG Holdings Lowered by Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp decreased its stake in Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG) by 3.4% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 189,999 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 6,694 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp owned 0.11% of Graco worth $16,142,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Graco in the third quarter worth about $29,000. NewSquare Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Graco by 320.7% during the second quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 345 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 263 shares during the period. CX Institutional lifted its position in shares of Graco by 316.7% in the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 475 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 361 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Graco by 982.6% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 498 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 452 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TD Private Client Wealth LLC boosted its stake in Graco by 116.9% in the 3rd quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 514 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 277 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.88% of the company’s stock.

Graco Trading Up 1.1%

NYSE GGG opened at $87.73 on Wednesday. Graco Inc. has a 1-year low of $72.06 and a 1-year high of $89.67. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $83.83 and its 200-day simple moving average is $83.92. The company has a market capitalization of $14.54 billion, a PE ratio of 28.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 1.09.

Graco (NYSE:GGG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, January 26th. The industrial products company reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.77. Graco had a return on equity of 19.73% and a net margin of 23.33%.The firm had revenue of $593.16 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $591.99 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.64 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Graco Inc. will post 3.06 EPS for the current year.

Graco Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 4th. Investors of record on Monday, January 19th will be paid a $0.295 dividend. This represents a $1.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 16th. This is a positive change from Graco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. Graco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.27%.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on GGG. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Graco in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Graco in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Robert W. Baird set a $89.00 price objective on Graco in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Finally, KeyCorp reaffirmed a “sector weight” rating on shares of Graco in a research note on Tuesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $87.00.

Key Graco News

Here are the key news stories impacting Graco this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Record quarterly and annual sales; Q4 net sales rose ~8% year-over-year and full-year sales were up ~6%, driven by acquisitions and stronger regional/industrial end-market demand. Management highlighted improved operating leverage. Business Wire Release
• Positive Sentiment: Profitability expanded: operating earnings and net income both increased ~22% year-over-year in Q4, reflecting margin improvement and higher gross profit—an earnings-quality beat that supports valuation. Business Wire Release
• Positive Sentiment: EPS in line-to-slightly-better than consensus: most outlets report Q4 EPS of $0.77 (consensus $0.77) with some third-party data showing $0.79 — the bottom line improved materially versus prior year. That helped lift investor sentiment. Zacks Earnings Match
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue/estimate nuance: aggregated revenue was roughly $593M (up 8% YoY); some data vendors flagged a slight revenue miss versus one estimate while others show it essentially in line — net effect is limited but worth watching. Quiver Quantitative
• Neutral Sentiment: Management commentary (earnings call/transcript) emphasized acquisitions, regional growth and contractor/industrial strength as the main demand drivers; no material guidance surprise reported in headlines, so near-term outlook remains tied to execution and end-market trends. Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Balance-sheet/cash items and insider activity: third‑party data note cash declined modestly year-over-year and total liabilities increased; a couple of insider sales were reported, which investors sometimes view unfavorably. Quiver Quantitative
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation remains elevated vs. history (P/E ~28; PEG ~2.7), so any slowdown in end markets or margin compression could pressure the stock despite the strong quarter. (Background metrics used by the market.)

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.