Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Increases Stock Position in Graco Inc. $GGG

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio boosted its holdings in Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG) by 105.2% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 125,134 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 64,138 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio’s holdings in Graco were worth $10,593,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Graco in the first quarter worth $26,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Graco by 2,650.0% during the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 330 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 318 shares during the last quarter. Field & Main Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Graco during the fourth quarter valued at $41,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in Graco by 982.6% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 498 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 452 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC increased its holdings in Graco by 43.2% in the 1st quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 504 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. 93.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Graco News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Graco this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Graco posted record second-quarter sales and operating earnings, while adjusted EPS of $0.91 beat expectations, helping fuel buying in the stock. Graco (GGG) On Record Q2 Earnings And The Case For More Upside
• Positive Sentiment: Management’s third-quarter sales guidance and reaffirmed full-year outlook signaled confidence in demand trends, backlog growth, and a stronger second half. Graco Inc. Signals Stronger Second Half Ahead
• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada raised its price target on Graco to $96 from $92 and kept an outperform rating, reinforcing a bullish analyst view. Benzinga / The Fly analyst update
• Neutral Sentiment: William Blair maintained a Hold rating, saying improving orders and backlog are being offset by only modest near-term growth. Balanced Outlook for Graco
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles highlighted that revenue came in below some estimates even as profits and margins improved, making the earnings reaction more dependent on outlook than on top-line growth alone. Graco Surpasses Q2 Earnings Estimates, Reaffirms 2026 View

Graco Price Performance

Shares of GGG opened at $79.43 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.98, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.93. Graco Inc. has a one year low of $72.51 and a one year high of $95.69. The business has a fifty day moving average of $75.07 and a 200 day moving average of $82.65.

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 company had revenue of $590.55 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $608.06 million. Graco had a return on equity of 19.54% and a net margin of 23.53%.Graco’s revenue was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.75 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Graco Inc. will post 3.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Graco Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 20th will be given a dividend of $0.295 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 20th. This represents a $1.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Graco’s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.11%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on GGG shares. Robert W. Baird set a $94.00 target price on Graco in a research report on Friday. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Graco from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Wolfe Research lowered shares of Graco from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Graco from $92.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, DA Davidson restated a “neutral” rating and set a $85.00 price objective on shares of Graco in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Graco presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $95.00.

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.