Wall Street Zen Upgrades Generac (NYSE:GNRC) to "Strong-Buy"

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Generac to “Strong Buy” from “Buy,” while the broader analyst consensus remains “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $290.41.
• Generac reported quarterly EPS of $2.54, exceeding the $2.40 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 16.2% year over year to $1.29 billion but fell short of expectations.
• GNRC opened at $197.70 and has traded between $134.80 and $296.44 over the past year. Insiders sold 13,442 shares worth approximately $2.68 million over the last 90 days, while institutional investors own 84.04% of the company.

Generac (NYSE:GNRC - Get Free Report) was upgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report issued on Monday, Wall Street Zen reports.

A number of other equities research analysts have also commented on GNRC. Zacks Research lowered shares of Generac from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, September 28th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Generac from $232.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Generac from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Generac from $290.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Generac from $278.00 to $281.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $290.41.

Generac Trading Down 0.1%

NYSE:GNRC opened at $197.70 on Monday. Generac has a 52 week low of $134.80 and a 52 week high of $296.44. The company has a fifty day moving average of $199.18 and a 200 day moving average of $217.49. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.15, a P/E/G ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.91.

Generac (NYSE:GNRC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The technology company reported $2.54 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $1.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.32 billion. Generac had a return on equity of 18.78% and a net margin of 6.52%. Generac's quarterly revenue was up 16.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.83 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Generac will post 9.80 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Generac news, CEO Aaron Jagdfeld sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $206.00, for a total value of $1,030,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 544,528 shares of the company's stock, valued at $112,172,768. This trade represents a 0.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Norman P. Taffe sold 150 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total transaction of $33,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 10,976 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,414,720. The trade was a 1.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 13,442 shares of company stock valued at $2,682,087 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 2.40% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Generac

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of GNRC. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in Generac during the second quarter valued at $25,000. Avalon Trust Co purchased a new stake in Generac during the 1st quarter valued at $32,000. Essential Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Generac by 57.0% during the first quarter. Essential Partners LLC now owns 168 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Generac by 32.9% in the first quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 218 shares of the technology company's stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fiduciary Financial Advisors bought a new position in shares of Generac in the second quarter worth about $50,000. Institutional investors own 84.04% of the company's stock.

About Generac

Generac Holdings Inc is a technology and energy solutions company that designs and manufactures power generation equipment and other energy-related products. Its offerings include standby and portable generators, commercial and industrial power systems, energy storage solutions, and products that help customers manage and monitor energy use.

The company serves residential, commercial, industrial, and utility customers. Its products are used for backup power, prime power, and distributed energy applications across homes, businesses, data centers, healthcare facilities, construction sites, and other critical operations.

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