Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG) Shares Sold by SNS Financial Group LLC

SNS Financial Group LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG) by 4.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,511 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 180 shares during the period. SNS Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Graco were worth $296,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Graco during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in shares of Graco during the third quarter worth about $30,000. Eastern Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Graco during the third quarter worth about $59,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Graco during the fourth quarter worth about $61,000. Finally, MilWealth Group LLC purchased a new position in Graco during the fourth quarter worth about $63,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.88% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently issued reports on GGG shares. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Graco from $93.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of Graco from $88.00 to $85.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, BNP Paribas raised shares of Graco from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $105.00 price target for the company in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $91.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Kathryn L. Schoenrock sold 1,527 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.30, for a total value of $137,888.10. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,374 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $575,572.20. The trade was a 19.33 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Caroline M. Chambers sold 8,280 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.57, for a total transaction of $749,919.60. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 57,612 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,217,918.84. The trade was a 12.57 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.63% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Graco Trading Up 0.0 %

Shares of Graco stock opened at $87.18 on Thursday. Graco Inc. has a 12-month low of $77.49 and a 12-month high of $94.77. The stock has a market cap of $14.72 billion, a PE ratio of 30.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a 50-day moving average of $84.68 and a two-hundred day moving average of $84.88.

Graco (NYSE:GGG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 27th. The industrial products company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.77 by ($0.13). Graco had a net margin of 23.00% and a return on equity of 19.38%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Graco Inc. will post 3.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Graco Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Investors of record on Monday, April 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.275 per share. This represents a $1.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.26%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 14th. Graco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.01%.

About Graco

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.