Nuveen Asset Management LLC Purchases 1,375 Shares of WD-40 (NASDAQ:WDFC)

Nuveen Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of WD-40 (NASDAQ:WDFC - Free Report) by 2.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 48,309 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,375 shares during the quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC owned approximately 0.36% of WD-40 worth $11,724,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WDFC. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in WD-40 by 309.7% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 37,094 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $9,566,000 after purchasing an additional 28,039 shares during the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its stake in WD-40 by 19.5% in the fourth quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 2,757 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $669,000 after acquiring an additional 450 shares during the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its stake in WD-40 by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 3,120 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $757,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in WD-40 by 39.9% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 550 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $142,000 after acquiring an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV lifted its stake in WD-40 by 23.1% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 548 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $133,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.52% of the company's stock.

WD-40 Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WDFC traded up $2.98 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $244.09. 167,409 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 102,867. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $233.32 and its 200-day simple moving average is $242.22. The company has a quick ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 2.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. 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 twelve month low of $208.00 and a twelve month high of $292.36.

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

WD-40 Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other WD-40 news, CFO Sara Kathleen Hyzer purchased 256 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 11th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $222.83 per share, with a total value of $57,044.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 4,072 shares in the company, valued at $907,363.76. The trade was a 6.71% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.75% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

WD-40 Company Profile

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.