Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich Cuts Stock Position in Graco Inc. $GGG

Key Points

• Bank Julius Baer cut its Graco stake by 45.9% in the fourth quarter, selling 17,441 shares and leaving it with 20,530 shares valued at about $1.7 million.
• Institutional ownership remains very high, with 93.88% of Graco shares held by institutions. Other funds such as Goldman Sachs and Marshall Wace also increased their positions.
• Graco recently missed earnings and revenue estimates for the quarter, reporting $0.66 EPS versus $0.75 expected and $540.14 million in revenue versus $561.35 million expected. Analysts currently have a consensus rating of Hold with an average price target of $94.25.

Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich lowered its stake in Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG - Free Report) by 45.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 20,530 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 17,441 shares during the period. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich's holdings in Graco were worth $1,703,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in GGG. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in Graco by 15.6% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 330,409 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $27,592,000 after acquiring an additional 44,573 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in Graco by 982.6% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 498 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 452 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Graco by 97.2% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,765 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $152,000 after acquiring an additional 870 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its position in Graco by 559.5% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 108,100 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $9,293,000 after acquiring an additional 91,708 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. lifted its position in Graco by 4.2% in the 2nd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 21,289 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,830,000 after acquiring an additional 852 shares in the last quarter. 93.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Andrea Helen Simon bought 1,240 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 27th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $80.53 per share, with a total value of $99,857.20. Following the acquisition, the director owned 1,240 shares in the company, valued at $99,857.20. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 2.18% of the company's stock.

More Graco News

Here are the key news stories impacting Graco this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research slightly raised Graco’s Q1 2027 EPS estimate to $0.74 from $0.73, signaling a marginally better outlook for that period.
• Positive Sentiment: The firm also nudged Q4 2026 EPS higher to $0.83 from $0.82, indicating a small improvement in late-2026 earnings expectations.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several longer-term forecasts remain constructive, including FY2027 EPS of $3.40 and FY2028 EPS of $3.93, suggesting analysts still expect growth over time.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research cut FY2026 EPS to $3.09 from $3.18, which is below the current consensus of $3.13 and points to some near-term earnings risk.
• Negative Sentiment: The firm also lowered Q2 2026 EPS to $0.81 from $0.83 and trimmed Q2 2027, Q3 2027, Q4 2027, Q1 2028, and FY2028 estimates, reinforcing a softer medium-term outlook for Graco.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on GGG shares. KeyCorp reaffirmed a "sector weight" rating on shares of Graco in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on Graco from $96.00 to $92.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $95.00 price target on shares of Graco in a report on Friday, April 24th. DA Davidson reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $85.00 price target on shares of Graco in a report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Graco from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Graco has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $94.25.

Graco Price Performance

NYSE GGG opened at $75.70 on Friday. The business's fifty day moving average price is $84.03 and its 200-day moving average price is $85.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.66, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.96. Graco Inc. has a 1-year low of $75.58 and a 1-year high of $95.69.

Graco (NYSE:GGG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The industrial products company reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.75 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $540.14 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $561.35 million. Graco had a net margin of 22.96% and a return on equity of 18.66%. Graco's quarterly revenue was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.70 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Graco Inc. will post 3.12 EPS for the current year.

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.

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