Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Decreases Stock Position in Graco Inc. $GGG

Key Points

• Epoch Investment Partners reduced its Graco stake by 10.6% in the fourth quarter, selling 40,742 shares and leaving it with 343,576 shares valued at about $28.2 million.
• Graco’s latest earnings missed Wall Street estimates, with quarterly EPS of $0.66 versus the expected $0.75 and revenue of $540.1 million below forecasts. Despite that, analysts still expect about $3.10 in EPS for the current fiscal year.
• The stock is trading near its 52-week low and below both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, while the company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.295 per share, yielding about 1.6% annually.

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. trimmed its holdings in Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG - Free Report) by 10.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 343,576 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 40,742 shares during the period. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. owned about 0.21% of Graco worth $28,163,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in GGG. Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Graco by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter. Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC now owns 41,431 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $3,562,000 after acquiring an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its position in shares of Graco by 7.7% during the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,755 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $149,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its position in shares of Graco by 7.8% during the 3rd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,874 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $159,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. ICW Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Graco by 5.2% during the 2nd quarter. ICW Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,723 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $234,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Viawealth LLC raised its position in shares of Graco by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Viawealth LLC now owns 53,195 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $4,519,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. 93.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on GGG shares. Weiss Ratings lowered Graco from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Friday, June 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $95.00 price target on shares of Graco in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on Graco from $96.00 to $92.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, DA Davidson reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $85.00 price target on shares of Graco in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $94.25.

Graco Price Performance

Shares of NYSE GGG opened at $74.45 on Monday. Graco Inc. has a 1-year low of $73.26 and a 1-year high of $95.69. The business's fifty day moving average price is $79.57 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $84.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.36 billion, a PE ratio of 24.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.93.

Graco (NYSE:GGG - Get Free Report) last issued its 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). Graco had a return on equity of 18.66% and a net margin of 22.96%.The company had revenue of $540.14 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $561.35 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.70 earnings per share. Graco's quarterly revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Graco Inc. will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Graco Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.295 per share. This represents a $1.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 20th. Graco's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.44%.

Key Graco News

Here are the key news stories impacting Graco this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its FY2026 EPS estimate for Graco to $3.10 from $3.09, suggesting earnings expectations are holding steady heading into the rest of the year.
• Positive Sentiment: A bullish thesis on Graco was highlighted by Insider Monkey, reflecting investor interest in the stock’s valuation and long-term industrial growth potential. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Kalkine Media published a piece exploring whether Russell 1000 momentum could help Graco’s global industrial reach, which appears more thematic than a direct catalyst. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research trimmed several forward EPS estimates for Graco, including Q2 2027, Q3 2027, Q4 2027, FY2027, and FY2028, which may weigh on sentiment by suggesting slower longer-term earnings growth.
• Negative Sentiment: The stock also remains below its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, reinforcing the view that recent price action has been weak despite the latest analyst updates.

Insider Activity at Graco

In other Graco news, Director Andrea Helen Simon purchased 1,240 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the acquisition, the director owned 1,240 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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. Company insiders own 2.18% of the company's stock.

Graco 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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