WD-40 (NASDAQ:WDFC) Shares Purchased by Jefferies Financial Group Inc.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of WD-40 (NASDAQ:WDFC - Free Report) by 64.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 9,683 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after acquiring an additional 3,780 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.07% of WD-40 worth $2,350,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in WDFC. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of WD-40 during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. bought a new stake in WD-40 in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. increased its position in WD-40 by 525.8% in the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 194 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of WD-40 during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Finally, Anchor Investment Management LLC increased its stake in WD-40 by 3,400.0% during the 4th quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 350 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $85,000 after purchasing an additional 340 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.52% of the company's stock.

WD-40 Trading Up 1.2%

NASDAQ:WDFC traded up $2.98 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $244.09. 167,409 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 102,867. 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 has a fifty day moving average of $233.32 and a 200 day moving average of $242.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.76 and a beta of 0.17. WD-40 has a 12 month low of $208.00 and a 12 month high of $292.36.

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

WD-40 Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Insider Transactions at WD-40

In related news, CFO Sara Kathleen Hyzer purchased 256 shares of WD-40 stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 11th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $222.83 per share, with a total value of $57,044.48. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 4,072 shares in the company, valued at approximately $907,363.76. The trade was a 6.71% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company 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.