UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Acquires 79,881 Shares of Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in shares of Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG - Free Report) by 7.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,191,033 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 79,881 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned approximately 0.71% of Graco worth $100,392,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GGG. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Graco in the fourth quarter valued at about $177,434,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its holdings in Graco by 26,738.4% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,841,916 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $155,255,000 after purchasing an additional 1,835,053 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in shares of Graco by 36.7% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,929,952 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $162,676,000 after purchasing an additional 518,462 shares in the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Graco by 76.0% during the fourth quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 1,147,341 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $96,709,000 after purchasing an additional 495,293 shares during the period. Finally, T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Graco by 48.1% in the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,497,164 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $126,196,000 after buying an additional 486,277 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.88% of the company's stock.

Graco Trading Down 1.4%

Graco stock traded down $1.15 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $83.79. 562,212 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 820,091. Graco Inc. has a twelve month low of $72.06 and a twelve month high of $92.86. The company has a market cap of $14.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.09. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $81.77 and a two-hundred day moving average of $84.59.

Graco (NYSE:GGG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The industrial products company reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.68 by $0.02. Graco had a return on equity of 19.38% and a net margin of 23.00%. The company had revenue of $528.28 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $526.98 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.65 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Graco Inc. will post 3.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Graco

In related news, insider David J. Thompson sold 3,588 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.23, for a total value of $309,393.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 27,520 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,373,049.60. This represents a 11.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 2.19% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, DA Davidson set a $85.00 price target on Graco in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $93.00.

Graco Company Profile

Graco Inc designs, manufactures, and markets systems and equipment used to move, measure, control, dispense, and spray fluid and powder materials worldwide. The Contractor segment offers sprayers to apply paint to walls and other structures; two-component proportioning systems that are used to spray polyurethane foam and polyurea coatings; and viscous coatings to roofs, as well as markings on roads, parking lots, athletic fields, and floors.