Graco Inc. $GGG Holdings Boosted by Geode Capital Management LLC

Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG) by 5.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,652,241 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 261,126 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Graco were worth $380,642,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of GGG. Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Graco by 0.3% during the second quarter. Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC now owns 41,431 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,562,000 after buying an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its holdings in shares of Graco by 7.7% during the third quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,755 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $149,000 after buying an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. ICW Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Graco by 4.6% during the third quarter. ICW Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,849 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $242,000 after buying an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its holdings in shares of Graco by 7.8% during the third quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,874 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $159,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Viawealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Graco by 0.3% during the third quarter. Viawealth LLC now owns 53,195 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $4,519,000 after buying an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.88% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Andrea Helen Simon bought 1,240 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 27th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $80.53 per share, with a total value of $99,857.20. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 1,240 shares in the company, valued at approximately $99,857.20. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 2.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings cut Graco from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $85.00 price target on shares of Graco in a report on Monday, April 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $95.00 price target on shares of Graco in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their price target on Graco from $96.00 to $92.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 24th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Graco presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $94.25.

Graco Trading Up 0.1%

GGG opened at $75.52 on Monday. Graco Inc. has a twelve month low of $74.24 and a twelve month high of $95.69. The stock has a market cap of $12.53 billion, a PE ratio of 24.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.93. The business’s 50 day moving average is $81.65 and its 200-day moving average is $84.75.

Graco (NYSE:GGG) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The industrial products company reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.75 by ($0.09). Graco had a return on equity of 18.66% and a net margin of 22.96%.The firm had revenue of $540.14 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $561.35 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.70 EPS. Graco’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Graco Inc. will post 3.1 EPS for the current year.

Graco Company Profile

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.