Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Has $6.21 Million Stock Holdings in Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG)

Key Points

• Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH reduced its stake in Graco Inc. by 54.8% in the first quarter, owning 74,308 shares valued at approximately $6.2 million.
• Several major hedge funds increased their positions in Graco during the previous quarter, with Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA's stake growing by an astonishing 26,738.4%.
• Graco announced a quarterly dividend of $0.275 per share, which will be paid to stockholders of record on July 21st, resulting in a dividend yield of 1.30%.

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH reduced its stake in shares of Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG - Free Report) by 54.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 74,308 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 90,046 shares during the quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH's holdings in Graco were worth $6,205,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of GGG. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Graco during the fourth quarter worth approximately $46,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Graco by 128.9% in the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 689 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $58,000 after buying an additional 388 shares during the last quarter. Sit Investment Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Graco in the 4th quarter worth $80,000. USA Financial Formulas raised its holdings in Graco by 43.6% during the first quarter. USA Financial Formulas now owns 1,057 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $88,000 after purchasing an additional 321 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its holdings in Graco by 21.1% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,834 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $153,000 after purchasing an additional 319 shares in the last quarter. 93.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Graco

In related news, insider David J. Thompson sold 3,588 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.23, for a total transaction of $309,393.24. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 27,520 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,373,049.60. This trade represents a 11.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.19% of the company's stock.

Graco Trading Down 0.1%

GGG traded down $0.06 on Monday, reaching $84.53. The company had a trading volume of 792,767 shares, compared to its average volume of 837,442. The company has a fifty day moving average of $85.79 and a 200-day moving average of $84.14. The company has a market capitalization of $14.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.98, a PEG ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.06. Graco Inc. has a one year low of $72.06 and a one year high of $92.86.

Graco (NYSE:GGG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The industrial products company reported $0.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.78 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $571.81 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $590.57 million. Graco had a net margin of 22.26% and a return on equity of 19.05%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 3.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.77 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Graco Inc. will post 3.06 EPS for the current year.

Graco Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Investors of record on Monday, July 21st will be issued a $0.275 dividend. This represents a $1.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 21st. Graco's payout ratio is 39.01%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on GGG shares. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Graco in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. They issued an "outperform" rating for the company. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Graco from $88.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $94.50.

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.