Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG) Shares Bought by Cerity Partners LLC

Cerity Partners LLC grew its stake in Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG - Free Report) by 32.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 17,702 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 4,322 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC's holdings in Graco were worth $1,524,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in GGG. Institute for Wealth Management LLC. increased its stake in Graco by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Institute for Wealth Management LLC. now owns 4,860 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $410,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares during the period. Albert D Mason Inc. lifted its holdings in Graco by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. now owns 27,923 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,354,000 after buying an additional 121 shares in the last quarter. Optas LLC boosted its position in Graco by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Optas LLC now owns 3,360 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $283,000 after buying an additional 128 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group boosted its holdings in Graco by 39.1% in the fourth quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 484 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the period. Finally, Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC grew its position in shares of Graco by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 14,548 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,226,000 after buying an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. 93.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Graco Trading Up 2.1 %

Shares of Graco stock traded up $1.69 on Wednesday, hitting $80.67. The stock had a trading volume of 148,220 shares, compared to its average volume of 865,600. The company's 50 day moving average price is $82.72 and its 200 day moving average price is $84.78. The stock has a market cap of $13.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.61, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.92. Graco Inc. has a 52-week low of $72.06 and a 52-week high of $92.86.

Graco (NYSE:GGG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, January 27th. The industrial products company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.77 by ($0.13). Graco had a net margin of 23.00% and a return on equity of 19.38%. Analysts predict that Graco Inc. will post 3.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Graco Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 14th will be given a dividend of $0.275 per share. This represents a $1.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.36%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 14th. Graco's payout ratio is currently 39.01%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Graco from $93.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. DA Davidson set a $85.00 price objective on shares of Graco in a report on Friday, January 31st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $93.00.

About Graco

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.