ProShare Advisors LLC Cuts Position in WD-40 (NASDAQ:WDFC)

ProShare Advisors LLC reduced its position in WD-40 (NASDAQ:WDFC - Free Report) by 45.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 32,188 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after selling 26,738 shares during the quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC owned 0.24% of WD-40 worth $7,811,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. bought a new stake in WD-40 in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of WD-40 by 525.8% during the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 194 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of WD-40 in the 4th quarter worth approximately $49,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of WD-40 by 3,400.0% in the 4th quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 350 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $85,000 after purchasing an additional 340 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV grew its stake in shares of WD-40 by 23.1% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 548 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $133,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. 91.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

WD-40 Trading Down 0.8%

NASDAQ:WDFC traded down $1.98 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $240.54. 6,542 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 100,838. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.16 and a beta of 0.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a current ratio of 2.44. The company has a fifty day moving average of $232.72 and a 200 day moving average of $244.34. WD-40 has a 12 month low of $208.00 and a 12 month high of $292.36.

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

WD-40 Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 18th were given a dividend of $0.94 per share. This represents a $3.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 17th. WD-40's payout ratio is currently 59.97%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Sara Kathleen Hyzer purchased 256 shares of WD-40 stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 11th. The shares were bought at an average price of $222.83 per share, for a total transaction of $57,044.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 4,072 shares of the company's stock, valued at $907,363.76. This represents a 6.71% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.75% of the company's stock.

About WD-40

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.