Teacher Retirement System of Texas Acquires 222,279 Shares of Graco Inc. $GGG

Key Points

• Teacher Retirement System of Texas boosted its stake in Graco by 294.4%, acquiring 222,279 shares to hold 297,787 shares worth about $24.41 million (0.18% of the company).
• Graco missed Q1: EPS $0.66 vs. $0.75 expected and revenue $540.1M vs. $561.4M, with margin compression driving a roughly 3.8% share decline even as management maintained its 2026 outlook.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed but tilting positive (consensus "Moderate Buy" with a target of $96.50 and some targets raised to $100–$105), while insiders sold about 19,394 shares (~$1.74M) over the last quarter.

Teacher Retirement System of Texas grew its holdings in Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG - Free Report) by 294.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 297,787 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 222,279 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas owned 0.18% of Graco worth $24,410,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Graco in the third quarter worth $29,000. CX Institutional increased its stake in shares of Graco by 316.7% in the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 475 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 361 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. increased its stake in shares of Graco by 42.6% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 465 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Graco by 982.6% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 498 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 452 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TD Private Client Wealth LLC increased its stake in shares of Graco by 116.9% in the third quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 514 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 277 shares in the last quarter. 93.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on GGG. DA Davidson reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $85.00 price objective on shares of Graco in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Robert W. Baird set a $96.00 price objective on shares of Graco in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Graco from $97.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Graco from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Graco from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $96.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Graco

In other news, insider Timothy R. White sold 1,469 shares of Graco stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.70, for a total value of $133,238.30. Following the transaction, the insider owned 51,430 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,664,701. The trade was a 2.78% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Angela F. Wordell sold 2,832 shares of Graco stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.22, for a total transaction of $263,999.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 13,360 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,245,419.20. The trade was a 17.49% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 19,394 shares of company stock worth $1,739,326. Company insiders own 2.18% of the company's stock.

Graco Stock Down 3.8%

Shares of NYSE:GGG opened at $82.28 on Friday. Graco Inc. has a 52 week low of $78.10 and a 52 week high of $95.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.80, a PEG ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.09. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $88.18 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $85.47.

Graco (NYSE:GGG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The industrial products company reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.75 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $540.14 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $561.35 million. Graco had a return on equity of 18.94% and a net margin of 22.96%.Graco's revenue was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.70 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Graco Inc. will post 3.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Graco Dividend Announcement

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

Key Graco News

Here are the key news stories impacting Graco this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company highlights backlog growth and said acquisitions contributed to sales growth, providing some offset to weaker organic trends. Acquisitions Drive Sales Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Management maintained its 2026 outlook despite the quarter’s miss, which reduces risk of a downward revision to guidance in the near term. Graco Misses Q1 Earnings & Sales Estimates, Retains 2026 View
• Neutral Sentiment: Top-line still grew modestly year-over-year (+~2%), so revenue is not collapsing — the weakness looks concentrated in organic demand and margin drivers. Acquisitions Drive Sales Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Broker sentiment remains mixed: a small number of analysts maintain buy/price-targets above the current price, indicating upside if execution improves. Graco Inc. (GGG) Stock Falls on Q1 2026 Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Reported EPS of $0.66 missed consensus (~$0.75) and revenue of $540.1M came in below estimates, driving the immediate negative reaction. Graco Inc. (GGG) Misses Q1 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Margins compressed: operating profit and net income declined year-over-year, suggesting cost pressure or mix issues that weighed on profitability. Graco Inc. (GGG) Stock Falls on Q1 2026 Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Management commentary and the earnings call signaled “underlying weakness” in organic demand, which increases uncertainty around near-term recovery. Graco Inc. (GGG) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Notable insider selling and heavy institutional rebalancing were highlighted in recent summaries, which can amplify downward pressure if sentiment remains weak. Graco Inc. (GGG) Stock Falls on Q1 2026 Earnings

Graco Company 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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