Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Raises Stock Holdings in WD-40 (NASDAQ:WDFC)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in WD-40 (NASDAQ:WDFC - Free Report) by 64.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,683 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after buying an additional 3,780 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.07% of WD-40 worth $2,350,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. grew its position in WD-40 by 43.5% during the 4th quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 25,968 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $6,302,000 after acquiring an additional 7,874 shares during the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG grew its holdings in shares of WD-40 by 143.2% in the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 20,016 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $4,857,000 after purchasing an additional 11,786 shares during the last quarter. Corton Capital Inc. bought a new position in shares of WD-40 in the fourth quarter worth approximately $241,000. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC increased its stake in shares of WD-40 by 456.4% in the fourth quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC now owns 41,728 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $10,127,000 after buying an additional 34,229 shares during the period. Finally, Brevan Howard Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of WD-40 in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,178,000. Institutional investors own 91.52% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at WD-40

In other news, CFO Sara Kathleen Hyzer purchased 256 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 11th. The shares were bought at an average price of $222.83 per share, for a total transaction of $57,044.48. Following the purchase, the chief financial officer now directly owns 4,072 shares in the company, valued at approximately $907,363.76. This trade represents a 6.71% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.75% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

WD-40 Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of WDFC traded up $0.07 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $245.73. 6,022 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 101,048. WD-40 has a 12 month low of $208.00 and a 12 month high of $292.36. The company has a quick ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 2.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The company's fifty day moving average price is $232.36 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $244.63. The company has a market capitalization of $3.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.96 and a beta of 0.17.

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

WD-40 Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Friday, April 18th were given a dividend of $0.94 per share. This represents a $3.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.53%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 17th. WD-40's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 59.97%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

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.