Zacks Research Issues Optimistic Estimate for Graco Earnings

Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG) – Research analysts at Zacks Research upped their Q4 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Graco in a report issued on Thursday, March 12th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the industrial products company will post earnings of $0.84 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $0.82. The consensus estimate for Graco’s current full-year earnings is $3.06 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Graco’s Q1 2027 earnings at $0.74 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $0.90 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $3.46 EPS.

Several other brokerages have also commented on GGG. KeyCorp restated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Graco in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Graco from $97.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Graco from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Robert W. Baird set a $96.00 target price on Graco in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Graco from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $96.50.

Graco Stock Up 0.3%

NYSE GGG opened at $86.60 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.36 billion, a PE ratio of 28.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 1.07. Graco has a 12-month low of $72.06 and a 12-month high of $95.69. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $89.76 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $85.36.

Graco (NYSE:GGG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, January 26th. The industrial products company reported $0.77 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.77. The firm had revenue of $593.16 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $591.99 million. Graco had a return on equity of 19.49% and a net margin of 23.33%.The firm’s revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.64 earnings per share.

Graco Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 13th will be given a dividend of $0.295 per share. This represents a $1.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 13th. Graco’s dividend payout ratio is presently 38.19%.

Graco announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Friday, December 5th that permits the company to buyback 15,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization permits the industrial products company to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Graco

In other news, Director J Kevin Gilligan sold 12,870 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.07, for a total transaction of $1,146,330.90. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Kathryn L. Schoenrock sold 2,223 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.06, for a total value of $195,757.38. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 7,846 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $690,918.76. This trade represents a 22.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 19,394 shares of company stock valued at $1,739,326 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 2.19% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Graco

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. State Street Corp raised its stake in Graco by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,813,877 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $640,503,000 after purchasing an additional 242,817 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Graco by 5.9% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,652,241 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $380,642,000 after buying an additional 261,126 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley increased its holdings in Graco by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 4,057,036 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $332,556,000 after buying an additional 206,949 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Graco by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,458,857 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $208,908,000 after buying an additional 75,285 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi lifted its holdings in shares of Graco by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 2,076,887 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $176,016,000 after acquiring an additional 53,126 shares during the period. 93.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.