Tudor Investment Corp ET AL Buys 12,090 Shares of Graco Inc. $GGG

Key Points

• Tudor Investment Corp boosted its stake in Graco by 227.9%, adding 12,090 shares to own 17,395 shares (worth ~$1.48M), while several other institutions (Caisse de dépôt, Schroder, Jane Street, etc.) also meaningfully increased positions — institutional ownership stands at 93.88%.
• Analyst sentiment is positive with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a $96.50 average target; notable moves include Jefferies raising its target to $105 (buy) and RBC lifting its target to $100 (outperform).
• Recent results showed EPS of $0.77 (in line with estimates) and revenue of $593.2M (up 8.1% YoY); Graco has a market cap of $14.51B, a P/E of 28.3, and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.295 (annualized $1.18, ~1.3% yield; ex-dividend Apr 13).

Tudor Investment Corp ET AL raised its stake in Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG - Free Report) by 227.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 17,395 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 12,090 shares during the quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL's holdings in Graco were worth $1,478,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of GGG. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec grew its stake in Graco by 236.4% in the third quarter. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec now owns 1,279,553 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $108,711,000 after purchasing an additional 899,174 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Graco by 116.8% in 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 in the last quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group grew its stake in Graco by 877.5% in 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. Sei Investments Co. grew its stake in Graco by 94.6% in the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 508,176 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $43,688,000 after purchasing an additional 246,984 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC grew its stake in Graco by 3,165.4% in the second quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 249,703 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $21,467,000 after purchasing an additional 242,056 shares in the last quarter. 93.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on GGG. DA Davidson restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $85.00 price target on shares of Graco in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Graco from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Graco from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Graco from $97.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, KeyCorp reiterated a "sector weight" rating on shares of Graco in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $96.50.

Graco Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE GGG opened at $87.52 on Monday. Graco Inc. has a 12 month low of $75.91 and a 12 month high of $95.69. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $89.28 and a 200-day moving average of $85.39. The company has a market capitalization of $14.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.09.

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

Graco Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Monday, April 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.295 per share. This represents a $1.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 13th. Graco's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.19%.

Insider Transactions at Graco

In related news, EVP Kathryn L. Schoenrock sold 2,223 shares of Graco stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.06, for a total transaction of $195,757.38. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 7,846 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $690,918.76. This trade represents a 22.08% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director J Kevin Gilligan sold 12,870 shares of Graco stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.07, for a total value of $1,146,330.90. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 19,394 shares of company stock valued at $1,739,326. 2.18% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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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