Comerica Bank Buys 60,486 Shares of Graco Inc. $GGG

Comerica Bank grew its stake in Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG - Free Report) by 54.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 172,328 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 60,486 shares during the quarter. Comerica Bank owned 0.10% of Graco worth $14,126,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its holdings in Graco by 432.6% in the third quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 85,654 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $7,263,000 after acquiring an additional 69,573 shares in the last quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Graco by 32.7% in the fourth quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 398,336 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $32,652,000 after purchasing an additional 98,141 shares during the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its stake in shares of Graco by 154.2% in the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 64,341 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $5,466,000 after purchasing an additional 39,031 shares during the last quarter. Raiffeisen Bank International AG raised its stake in shares of Graco by 191.8% in the third quarter. Raiffeisen Bank International AG now owns 8,809 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $744,000 after purchasing an additional 5,790 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd raised its stake in shares of Graco by 40.5% in the third quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 45,544 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $3,869,000 after purchasing an additional 13,130 shares during the last quarter. 93.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on GGG. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Graco from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Graco from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on Graco from $96.00 to $92.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 24th. KeyCorp restated a "sector weight" rating on shares of Graco in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $95.00 price target on shares of Graco in a research note on Friday. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $94.25.

Graco Stock Performance

Graco stock opened at $80.20 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $13.31 billion, a PE ratio of 26.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.09. Graco Inc. has a one year low of $78.87 and a one year high of $95.69. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $87.36 and a 200 day moving average of $85.47.

Graco (NYSE:GGG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The industrial products company reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.75 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $540.14 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $561.35 million. Graco had a net margin of 22.96% and a return on equity of 18.66%. The firm's revenue was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.70 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Graco Inc. will post 3.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Graco Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Monday, April 13th will be given a dividend of $0.295 per share. This represents a $1.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 13th. Graco's dividend payout ratio is 38.44%.

Insider Activity at Graco

In related news, EVP Kathryn L. Schoenrock sold 2,223 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.06, for a total transaction of $195,757.38. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 7,846 shares in the company, valued at approximately $690,918.76. This represents a 22.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director J Kevin Gilligan sold 12,870 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.07, for a total value of $1,146,330.90. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 19,394 shares of company stock valued at $1,739,326 in the last 90 days. 2.18% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Trending Headlines about Graco

Here are the key news stories impacting Graco this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company director Andrea Helen Simon purchased 1,240 shares at about $80.53 (≈$99.9k total), signaling insider confidence in the stock near current levels. Insider Purchase
• Positive Sentiment: Graco declared a quarterly cash dividend ($0.295/share, annualized ~$1.18; yield ~1.5%), supporting income investors and signaling steady cash returns. MarketBeat GGG
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts remain split on Graco’s near-term outlook — coverage includes both buy/outperform and neutral/hold views, leaving consensus guidance and price-target dispersion as a source of volatility. Analysts Conflicted
• Neutral Sentiment: DA Davidson reaffirmed a neutral rating with an $85 price target (close to current levels), which caps near-term upside until fundamentals reaccelerate. DA Davidson Note
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent media pieces are re-checking Graco’s valuation and market positioning after recent share moves — useful for investors reassessing relative value vs. peers. Yahoo Valuation Check Kalkine
• Neutral Sentiment: Shareholders approved directors, auditor and executive pay at the April annual meeting — removes a near-term governance overhang. Shareholder Meeting
• Neutral Sentiment: Peer/Xylem reported stronger-than-expected Q1 results and raised revenue outlooks, highlighting pockets of strength in industrial demand that could be either competitive tailwinds or benchmarking pressure for Graco. Xylem Q1
• Negative Sentiment: Graco’s April quarter missed expectations: EPS $0.66 vs. est. $0.75 and revenue ~$540M vs. est. ~$561M. The miss on both profit and revenue is the primary near-term negative catalyst weighing on the stock. Earnings/Valuation Context

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.

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