Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG) Shares Sold by Marks Group Wealth Management Inc

Marks Group Wealth Management Inc lessened its stake in shares of Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG) by 1.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 87,798 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,706 shares during the quarter. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc owned 0.05% of Graco worth $7,617,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vontobel Holding Ltd. lifted its position in Graco by 5.5% during the 3rd quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 13,233 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $964,000 after acquiring an additional 689 shares in the last quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Graco by 26.4% in the third quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 67,591 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $4,926,000 after purchasing an additional 14,104 shares during the period. 1900 Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Graco during the 3rd quarter valued at $305,000. DAVENPORT & Co LLC grew its holdings in Graco by 3.9% during the 3rd quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 8,595 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $626,000 after purchasing an additional 326 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GHP Investment Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Graco by 7.0% during the 3rd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 58,477 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $4,303,000 after buying an additional 3,805 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.88% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Angela F. Wordell sold 3,588 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.60, for a total value of $335,836.80. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 12,725 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,191,060. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other Graco news, insider Timothy R. White sold 2,895 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.49, for a total value of $253,283.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 50,782 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,442,917.18. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Angela F. Wordell sold 3,588 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.60, for a total transaction of $335,836.80. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 12,725 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,191,060. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 48,378 shares of company stock valued at $4,376,528. 2.63% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Graco Trading Down 0.2 %

Graco stock traded down $0.19 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $88.20. The stock had a trading volume of 786,731 shares, compared to its average volume of 651,768. Graco Inc. has a 12 month low of $68.78 and a 12 month high of $94.77. The stock has a market cap of $14.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.00, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.81. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $91.19 and a 200 day moving average price of $84.71.

Graco (NYSE:GGG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.79 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $566.64 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $565.86 million. Graco had a return on equity of 24.61% and a net margin of 23.07%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Graco Inc. will post 3.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Graco Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 15th will be paid a $0.255 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 12th. This represents a $1.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.16%. Graco’s payout ratio is currently 34.69%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Graco from $91.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Graco from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 11th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Graco from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Graco presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $84.80.

Graco Company 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.