Principal Financial Group Inc. Sells 4,611 Shares of WD-40 (NASDAQ:WDFC)

Principal Financial Group Inc. cut its position in WD-40 (NASDAQ:WDFC - Free Report) by 2.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 185,621 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after selling 4,611 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 1.37% of WD-40 worth $44,377,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WDFC. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new stake in WD-40 in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of WD-40 during the 4th quarter valued at $56,000. Principal Securities Inc. bought a new stake in shares of WD-40 during the 4th quarter worth $60,000. Strs Ohio grew its position in WD-40 by 100.0% in the third quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 400 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $81,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP increased its stake in WD-40 by 122.3% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 738 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $176,000 after acquiring an additional 406 shares during the last quarter. 91.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

WD-40 Price Performance

Shares of WDFC stock traded down $0.13 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $238.67. 45,064 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 123,738. The company has a market capitalization of $3.23 billion, a PE ratio of 47.64 and a beta of -0.02. The company has a current ratio of 2.27, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. WD-40 has a 12-month low of $182.53 and a 12-month high of $278.78. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $240.97 and its 200-day simple moving average is $244.99.

WD-40 (NASDAQ:WDFC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 9th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.13 by $0.01. WD-40 had a net margin of 12.19% and a return on equity of 32.30%. The company had revenue of $139.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $140.51 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.21 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that WD-40 will post 5.22 earnings per share for the current year.

WD-40 Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Friday, April 19th were given a dividend of $0.88 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 18th. This represents a $3.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.47%. WD-40's payout ratio is 70.26%.

Insider Buying and Selling at WD-40

In other news, CFO Sara Kathleen Hyzer purchased 213 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 9th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $232.83 per share, with a total value of $49,592.79. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 2,676 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $623,053.08. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other WD-40 news, CFO Sara Kathleen Hyzer acquired 213 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 9th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $232.83 per share, for a total transaction of $49,592.79. Following the acquisition, the chief financial officer now owns 2,676 shares in the company, valued at approximately $623,053.08. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Steven A. Brass acquired 432 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 16th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $232.22 per share, for a total transaction of $100,319.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 20,547 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,771,424.34. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders purchased 973 shares of company stock worth $226,910. 0.65% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, DA Davidson reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $313.00 price target on shares of WD-40 in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th.

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.