Man Group plc Sells 57,728 Shares of WD-40 (NASDAQ:WDFC)

Man Group plc reduced its holdings in WD-40 (NASDAQ:WDFC - Free Report) by 42.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 78,428 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after selling 57,728 shares during the period. Man Group plc owned about 0.58% of WD-40 worth $19,033,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. acquired a new position in WD-40 in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in WD-40 by 525.8% in the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 194 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 163 shares during 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 lifted its position in shares of WD-40 by 3,400.0% during the 4th quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 350 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $85,000 after buying an additional 340 shares during the period. Finally, KBC Group NV lifted its position in shares of WD-40 by 23.1% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 548 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $133,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the period. 91.52% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

WD-40 Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WDFC traded up $0.06 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $246.63. 59,864 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 101,215. 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 has a twelve month low of $208.00 and a twelve month high of $292.36. The company has a market cap of $3.34 billion, a PE ratio of 47.25 and a beta of 0.17. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $232.63 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $244.52.

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

WD-40 Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 18th were paid a dividend of $0.94 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 17th. This represents a $3.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.52%. WD-40's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 59.97%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insider Buying and Selling at WD-40

In other news, CFO Sara Kathleen Hyzer purchased 256 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 11th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $222.83 per share, with a total value of $57,044.48. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer now owns 4,072 shares in the company, valued at $907,363.76. This trade represents a 6.71% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.75% of the company's stock.

WD-40 Company 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.