William Blair Initiates Coverage on WD-40 (NASDAQ:WDFC)

Key Points

• William Blair initiated coverage of WD‑40 (NASDAQ:WDFC) with an "Outperform" rating; MarketBeat shows a consensus of Moderate Buy (two Buys, one Hold) and a $300 price target.
• WD‑40 missed the most recent quarter, reporting $1.18 EPS versus $1.45 expected and roughly flat revenue, but the company set FY 2026 guidance of $5.75–6.15 EPS.
• A director purchased 424 shares at $247.15 and institutional ownership is very high—hedge funds and other institutions now hold about 91.52% of the stock.

Equities research analysts at William Blair assumed coverage on shares of WD-40 (NASDAQ:WDFC - Get Free Report) in a research report issued on Monday. The firm set an "outperform" rating on the specialty chemicals company's stock.

Separately, Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of WD-40 in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $300.00.

WD-40 Stock Performance

WD-40 stock opened at $206.18 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $2.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.38 and a beta of 0.25. WD-40 has a 12 month low of $175.38 and a 12 month high of $253.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 2.97 and a quick ratio of 2.05. The stock's 50-day moving average is $229.00 and its 200-day moving average is $209.27.

WD-40 (NASDAQ:WDFC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 8th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.45 by ($0.27). WD-40 had a return on equity of 30.10% and a net margin of 14.42%.The firm had revenue of $154.42 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $155.10 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.39 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. WD-40 has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.750-6.150 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that WD-40 will post 5.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director David Pendarvis purchased 424 shares of WD-40 stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $247.15 per share, with a total value of $104,791.60. Following the transaction, the director owned 6,898 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,704,840.70. The trade was a 6.55% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.78% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of WD-40

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in WDFC. Hsbc Holdings PLC acquired a new position in shares of WD-40 during the fourth quarter worth $637,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its holdings in WD-40 by 7.7% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 1,087 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $214,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its stake in WD-40 by 52.0% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 9,518 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $1,874,000 after buying an additional 3,257 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its stake in WD-40 by 243.2% during the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 278 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $55,000 after buying an additional 197 shares during the period. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV lifted its holdings in WD-40 by 76.3% in the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 1,946 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $383,000 after buying an additional 842 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.52% of the company's stock.

WD-40 Company Profile

WD-40 Company, headquartered in San Diego, California, is best known for its flagship WD-40® Multi-Use Product, a water-displacing spray used for lubrication, rust prevention and cleaning. Since its introduction in 1953 by the Rocket Chemical Company, the WD-40 brand has become a household and industrial staple. Over time, the company has broadened its portfolio to include complementary maintenance and cleaning brands such as 3-IN-ONE® oils, Lava® hand cleaners, Solvol® solvents, Spot Shot® stain removers and X-14® cleaning products.

WD-40 Company distributes its products in more than 176 countries through retail, industrial and automotive channels.

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