Lazard Asset Management LLC Has $167,000 Stock Position in WD-40 (NASDAQ:WDFC)

Lazard Asset Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of WD-40 (NASDAQ:WDFC - Free Report) by 89.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 692 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after selling 5,659 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC's holdings in WD-40 were worth $167,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WDFC. Norges Bank bought a new position in WD-40 during the fourth quarter worth about $54,571,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in WD-40 during the fourth quarter worth about $17,903,000. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. bought a new position in WD-40 during the fourth quarter worth about $10,179,000. Marshall Wace LLP raised its stake in shares of WD-40 by 55.4% in the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 104,431 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $25,343,000 after purchasing an additional 37,247 shares during the period. Finally, Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC raised its stake in shares of WD-40 by 456.4% in the 4th quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC now owns 41,728 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $10,127,000 after purchasing an additional 34,229 shares during the period. 91.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

WD-40 Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of WDFC traded up $2.80 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $243.90. The stock had a trading volume of 107,876 shares, compared to its average volume of 101,454. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $232.69 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $243.44. WD-40 has a twelve month low of $208.00 and a twelve month high of $292.36. The firm has a market cap of $3.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.72 and a beta of 0.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 2.44 and a quick ratio of 1.75.

WD-40 (NASDAQ:WDFC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 8th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.05. WD-40 had a return on equity of 31.68% and a net margin of 11.78%. The firm had revenue of $146.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $154.40 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.14 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that WD-40 will post 5.42 EPS for the current year.

WD-40 Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Friday, April 18th were given a $0.94 dividend. This represents a $3.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.54%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 17th. WD-40's dividend payout ratio is currently 59.97%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insider Activity at WD-40

In related news, CFO Sara Kathleen Hyzer bought 256 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 11th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $222.83 per share, with a total value of $57,044.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 4,072 shares in the company, valued at $907,363.76. The trade was a 6.71% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.75% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.