WINTON GROUP Ltd Has $227,000 Holdings in Graco Inc. $GGG

WINTON GROUP Ltd lessened its position in shares of Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG) by 90.0% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,000 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 26,872 shares during the period. WINTON GROUP Ltd’s holdings in Graco were worth $227,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in Graco during the second quarter valued at $1,396,470,000. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of 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 worth $380,642,000 after acquiring an additional 261,126 shares in the last quarter. Amundi lifted its stake in shares of Graco by 7.5% in the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 2,090,184 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $158,039,000 after purchasing an additional 146,032 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Graco in the 4th quarter valued at about $161,949,000. Finally, Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec bought a new stake in shares of Graco during the 2nd quarter valued at about $141,667,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.88% of the company’s stock.

Graco Price Performance

GGG stock opened at $76.21 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $78.75 and its 200-day moving average is $79.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.34 billion, a PE ratio of 23.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.92. Graco Inc. has a 1 year low of $72.51 and a 1 year high of $95.69.

Graco (NYSE:GGG) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The industrial products company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.81 by $0.10. Graco had a return on equity of 19.54% and a net margin of 23.53%.The business had revenue of $590.55 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $608.06 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.75 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Graco Inc. will post 3.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Graco Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 19th will be paid a $0.295 dividend. This represents a $1.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, October 19th. Graco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.11%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $85.00 target price on shares of Graco in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Robert W. Baird set a $94.00 price target on Graco in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Graco from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of Graco from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Graco from $92.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $95.00.

Graco Company Profile

Graco Inc is a manufacturer of equipment used to manage, measure, control and apply fluids and coatings. Its products include pumps, valves, meters, regulators, dispensing systems, spray equipment and automated lubrication systems used in manufacturing, construction, vehicle service and other industrial applications.

The company serves a range of end markets through businesses focused on contractor equipment, industrial systems and process equipment. Its offerings support applications such as painting and protective coatings, sealant and adhesive dispensing, lubrication, fluid transfer, water and wastewater treatment, and the handling of chemicals and other materials.

Founded in Minneapolis in 1926, Graco traces its origins to equipment developed for dispensing automotive grease.