Marshall Wace LLP Sells 23,961 Shares of Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG)

Marshall Wace LLP lessened its stake in shares of Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG - Free Report) by 66.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 12,124 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 23,961 shares during the quarter. Marshall Wace LLP's holdings in Graco were worth $1,022,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Institute for Wealth Management LLC. increased its holdings in Graco by 2.5% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Graco by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. now owns 27,923 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,354,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares during the last quarter. Optas LLC increased its stake in shares of Graco by 4.0% in the fourth 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 raised its holdings in Graco by 39.1% in the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 484 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC boosted its position in Graco by 1.0% during the 4th 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 during the period. 93.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Graco Stock Performance

Shares of GGG stock traded down $0.08 on Tuesday, hitting $82.15. The company had a trading volume of 29,249 shares, compared to its average volume of 887,790. Graco Inc. has a twelve month low of $72.06 and a twelve month high of $92.86. The firm has a market cap of $13.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.13, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.09. The stock's 50-day moving average is $81.80 and its two-hundred day moving average is $84.48.

Graco (NYSE:GGG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The industrial products company reported $0.70 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.68 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $528.28 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $526.98 million. Graco had a net margin of 23.00% and a return on equity of 19.38%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.65 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Graco Inc. will post 3.06 EPS for the current year.

Graco Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Investors of record on Monday, April 14th will be issued a $0.275 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 14th. This represents a $1.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.34%. Graco's payout ratio is 38.87%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, DA Davidson set a $85.00 price target on shares of Graco in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $93.00.

Graco Company Profile

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.