WD-40 (NASDAQ:WDFC) Shares Purchased by Two Sigma Investments LP

Two Sigma Investments LP lifted its stake in shares of WD-40 (NASDAQ:WDFC - Free Report) by 46.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 29,597 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after purchasing an additional 9,402 shares during the period. Two Sigma Investments LP owned 0.22% of WD-40 worth $7,183,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in WDFC. Barclays PLC increased its stake in shares of WD-40 by 309.7% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 37,094 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $9,566,000 after acquiring an additional 28,039 shares during the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its holdings in shares of WD-40 by 19.5% in the fourth quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 2,757 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $669,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC increased its position in WD-40 by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 1,658 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $402,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC boosted its holdings in WD-40 by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 3,120 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $757,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of WD-40 by 39.9% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 550 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $142,000 after buying an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. 91.52% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

WD-40 Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of WDFC stock traded up $1.89 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $243.00. The company had a trading volume of 48,210 shares, compared to its average volume of 102,419. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 2.44 and a quick ratio of 1.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.29 billion, a PE ratio of 46.64 and a beta of 0.17. The company's fifty day moving average is $233.12 and its 200 day moving average is $243.10. WD-40 has a fifty-two week low of $208.00 and a fifty-two week high of $292.36.

WD-40 (NASDAQ:WDFC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 8th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.27 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $146.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $154.40 million. WD-40 had a return on equity of 31.68% and a net margin of 11.78%. The firm's revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.14 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that WD-40 will post 5.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

WD-40 Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 18th were given a dividend of $0.94 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 17th. This represents a $3.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.55%. WD-40's dividend payout ratio is presently 59.97%.

Insider Transactions at WD-40

In related news, CFO Sara Kathleen Hyzer acquired 256 shares of WD-40 stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 11th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $222.83 per share, for a total transaction of $57,044.48. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief financial officer now owns 4,072 shares in the company, valued at approximately $907,363.76. The trade was a 6.71% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.75% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

WD-40 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.