Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG) Shares Acquired by Running Oak Capital LLC

Running Oak Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG - Free Report) by 15.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 107,864 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 14,327 shares during the quarter. Graco accounts for about 1.8% of Running Oak Capital LLC's holdings, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. Running Oak Capital LLC owned approximately 0.06% of Graco worth $9,358,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Graco by 16.2% in the 3rd quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 4,198 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $306,000 after acquiring an additional 585 shares during the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas lifted its holdings in shares of Graco by 24.0% in the 3rd quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 147,612 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $10,758,000 after acquiring an additional 28,589 shares during the last quarter. Parsons Capital Management Inc. RI lifted its holdings in shares of Graco by 179.4% in the 4th quarter. Parsons Capital Management Inc. RI now owns 77,867 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $6,756,000 after acquiring an additional 50,000 shares during the last quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Graco in the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,026,000. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new stake in shares of Graco in the 4th quarter worth approximately $4,112,000. 93.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Graco Price Performance

Graco stock traded up $0.59 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $80.91. The stock had a trading volume of 699,078 shares, compared to its average volume of 683,302. The company has a market capitalization of $13.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.90, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $90.58 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $85.09. Graco Inc. has a one year low of $69.78 and a one year high of $94.77.

Graco (NYSE:GGG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The industrial products company reported $0.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.74 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $492.19 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $536.19 million. Graco had a return on equity of 23.01% and a net margin of 23.15%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.74 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Graco Inc. will post 3.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Graco Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 1st. Investors of record on Monday, April 15th were paid a $0.255 dividend. This represents a $1.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.26%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 12th. Graco's payout ratio is 35.17%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on GGG shares. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on shares of Graco from $90.00 to $87.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 26th. William Blair reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Graco in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Graco from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 11th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Graco from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Graco from $91.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Four 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 currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $88.25.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Timothy R. White sold 2,895 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.49, for a total value of $253,283.55. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 50,782 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,442,917.18. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Graco news, insider Timothy R. White sold 2,895 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.49, for a total transaction of $253,283.55. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 50,782 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,442,917.18. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Angela F. Wordell sold 3,588 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.60, for a total transaction of $335,836.80. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 12,725 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,191,060. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 48,378 shares of company stock worth $4,376,528 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 2.63% of the company's stock.

Graco 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.