Graco Inc. $GGG Stock Holdings Boosted by AE Wealth Management LLC

Key Points

• AE Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Graco by 32.7% in Q4, acquiring an additional 98,141 shares to hold 398,336 shares worth about $32.65 million (roughly 0.24% of the company).
• Institutional ownership is very high at 93.88%, with major funds like Caisse de dépôt, AQR, Schroder, Nordea and Sei significantly boosting their positions in recent quarters.
• Graco reported Q4 EPS of $0.77 (in line with estimates) and revenue up 8.1% YoY$0.295 (annualized $1.18, ~1.4% yield) and carries a consensus analyst rating of "Moderate Buy" with a $96.50 target.

AE Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG - Free Report) by 32.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 398,336 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 98,141 shares during the period. AE Wealth Management LLC owned approximately 0.24% of Graco worth $32,652,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec boosted its position in Graco by 236.4% during the 3rd quarter. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec now owns 1,279,553 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $108,711,000 after acquiring an additional 899,174 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Graco by 116.8% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 735,146 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $63,201,000 after purchasing an additional 396,125 shares during the period. Schroder Investment Management Group raised its stake in shares of Graco by 877.5% during the third quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 334,947 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $28,300,000 after purchasing an additional 300,682 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its holdings in Graco by 299.6% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 342,247 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $28,263,000 after purchasing an additional 256,593 shares during the period. Finally, Sei Investments Co. lifted its holdings in Graco by 94.6% in the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 508,176 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $43,688,000 after purchasing an additional 246,984 shares during the period. 93.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Graco Price Performance

NYSE GGG opened at $84.85 on Friday. Graco Inc. has a 12 month low of $75.91 and a 12 month high of $95.69. The company has a market capitalization of $14.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.46, a PEG ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 1.09. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $88.97 and its 200 day simple moving average is $85.43.

Graco (NYSE:GGG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, January 26th. The industrial products company reported $0.77 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.77. The firm had revenue of $593.16 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $591.99 million. Graco had a net margin of 23.33% and a return on equity of 19.49%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.64 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Graco Inc. will post 3.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Graco Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.295 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 13th. This represents a $1.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Graco's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.19%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Graco from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Robert W. Baird set a $96.00 price target on shares of Graco in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. DA Davidson reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $85.00 price objective on shares of Graco in a report on Monday, February 2nd. KeyCorp reissued a "sector weight" rating on shares of Graco in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Graco from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $96.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Timothy R. White sold 1,469 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.70, for a total value of $133,238.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 51,430 shares in the company, valued at $4,664,701. This trade represents a 2.78% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Angela F. Wordell sold 2,832 shares of Graco stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.22, for a total value of $263,999.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 13,360 shares in the company, valued at $1,245,419.20. This represents a 17.49% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 19,394 shares of company stock valued at $1,739,326. 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding GGG? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.