WD-40 (NASDAQ:WDFC) Shares Sold by BNP Paribas Financial Markets

BNP Paribas Financial Markets lessened its stake in shares of WD-40 (NASDAQ:WDFC - Free Report) by 74.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,269 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after selling 6,668 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets' holdings in WD-40 were worth $551,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Algert Global LLC raised its position in WD-40 by 15.9% in the fourth quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 9,669 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $2,346,000 after purchasing an additional 1,329 shares during the last quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL grew its position in shares of WD-40 by 91.8% during the 4th quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL now owns 27,072 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $6,570,000 after buying an additional 12,960 shares during the period. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of WD-40 during the fourth quarter valued at about $49,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of WD-40 in the 4th quarter worth $248,000. Finally, Nebula Research & Development LLC bought a new stake in shares of WD-40 during the fourth quarter worth about $1,094,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.52% of the company's stock.

WD-40 Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of WDFC stock traded up $2.80 on Tuesday, hitting $243.90. 107,876 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 101,454. WD-40 has a one year low of $208.00 and a one year high of $292.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a current ratio of 2.44. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $232.69 and its 200 day simple moving average is $243.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.72 and a beta of 0.17.

WD-40 (NASDAQ:WDFC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 8th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.05. WD-40 had a return on equity of 31.68% and a net margin of 11.78%. The business had revenue of $146.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $154.40 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.14 EPS. The business's revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that WD-40 will post 5.42 EPS for the current year.

WD-40 Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Friday, April 18th were issued a $0.94 dividend. This represents a $3.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.54%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 17th. WD-40's payout ratio is 59.97%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, DA Davidson upgraded WD-40 to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 14th.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Sara Kathleen Hyzer acquired 256 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 11th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $222.83 per share, with a total value of $57,044.48. Following the purchase, the chief financial officer now directly owns 4,072 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $907,363.76. This trade represents a 6.71% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.75% of the company's stock.

About WD-40

WD-40 Company develops and sells maintenance products, and homecare and cleaning products in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. The company provides multi-purpose maintenance products that include aerosol sprays, non-aerosol trigger sprays, precision pens, and in liquid-bulk form products under the WD-40 Multi-Use brand name; specialty maintenance products, such as penetrants, degreasers, corrosion inhibitors, greases, lubricants, and rust removers under the WD-40 Specialist brand; and bike-specific products.