SG Americas Securities LLC Makes New Investment in WD-40 (NASDAQ:WDFC)

SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in WD-40 (NASDAQ:WDFC - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 24,887 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock, valued at approximately $6,072,000. SG Americas Securities LLC owned 0.18% of WD-40 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of WD-40 in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. acquired a new position in WD-40 in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in WD-40 by 96.1% in the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 149 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its position in WD-40 by 420.0% in the first quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 156 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC raised its position in WD-40 by 82.6% in the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 157 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.52% of the company's stock.

WD-40 Price Performance

NASDAQ:WDFC traded down $4.36 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $241.51. The company's stock had a trading volume of 173,881 shares, compared to its average volume of 112,771. WD-40 has a fifty-two week low of $208.00 and a fifty-two week high of $292.36. The company has a current ratio of 2.44, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The company has a market capitalization of $3.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.27 and a beta of 0.17. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $233.89 and a 200-day moving average of $239.73.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.05. WD-40 had a net margin of 11.78% and a return on equity of 31.68%. The firm had revenue of $146.10 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $154.40 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.14 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that WD-40 will post 5.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

WD-40 Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 18th were paid a $0.94 dividend. This represents a $3.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 17th. WD-40's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 59.97%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Sara Kathleen Hyzer purchased 256 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 11th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $222.83 per share, with a total value of $57,044.48. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer now directly owns 4,072 shares in the company, valued at approximately $907,363.76. This trade represents a 6.71% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.75% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.