19,066 Graco Inc. $GGG Shares Sold by Vest Financial LLC

Vest Financial LLC reduced its position in shares of Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG) by 30.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 42,922 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 19,066 shares during the quarter. Vest Financial LLC’s holdings in Graco were worth $3,298,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of GGG. Quadrant Capital Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Graco by 167.0% in the third quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 10,505 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $839,000 after purchasing an additional 6,570 shares during the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Graco by 4.0% during the third quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 51,695 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,972,000 after purchasing an additional 1,993 shares in the last quarter. Harfst & Associates Inc. boosted its position in shares of Graco by 3.2% during the third quarter. Harfst & Associates Inc. now owns 26,627 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,046,000 after buying an additional 824 shares during the last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Graco by 8.6% during the third quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 68,386 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $5,255,000 after buying an additional 5,432 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Novem Group boosted its position in shares of Graco by 5.2% during the third quarter. Novem Group now owns 14,550 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,118,000 after buying an additional 715 shares during the last quarter. 93.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Graco

Here are the key news stories impacting Graco this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Graco’s third-quarter revenue increased 7.9% year over year to approximately $586 million, while organic incoming orders rose 7%, indicating continued demand momentum. Graco: 3 Key Takeaways for Long-Term Investors
• Positive Sentiment: BNP Paribas Exane maintained an “outperform” rating despite reducing its price target from $95 to $85, implying substantial potential upside from recent levels. BNP Paribas Exane Graco Rating
• Positive Sentiment: Technical indicators suggest the stock is oversold after a sharp multiweek decline, while analysts have been raising earnings estimates—factors that could support a near-term rebound. Why Buy the Dip in Graco
• Neutral Sentiment: Some analysis suggests Graco could be trading below fair value, potentially attracting value-oriented investors, although the assessment does not remove the near-term earnings risks. Graco Stock Could Be Reasonable Below Fair Value
• Negative Sentiment: Third-quarter adjusted earnings were $0.81 per share versus roughly $0.82–$0.83 expected, and revenue of $586 million fell short of the approximately $590 million consensus. Graco Q3 Earnings and Revenues Miss Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Investors focused on margin compression and the earnings miss, which outweighed the company’s year-over-year sales growth. Graco Stock Drops as Q3 Results Spotlight Margin Compression
• Negative Sentiment: Fourth-quarter revenue guidance of $610 million to $640 million is below the $641.8 million analyst consensus, raising concerns about near-term demand and profit growth. Why Graco Shares Are Falling

Graco Trading Down 3.4%

Shares of Graco stock opened at $66.94 on Friday. Graco Inc. has a 1-year low of $66.55 and a 1-year high of $95.69. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $78.22 and its 200-day simple moving average is $78.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 2.12 and a quick ratio of 2.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.74 billion, a PE ratio of 21.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.89.

Graco (NYSE:GGG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 21st. The industrial products company reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.83 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $586.39 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $590.17 million. Graco had a return on equity of 20.13% and a net margin of 22.40%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.73 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Graco Inc. will post 3.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Graco Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.2950 per share. This represents a $1.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, October 19th. Graco’s payout ratio is currently 37.11%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GGG has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird set a $80.00 target price on Graco in a research report on Friday. BNP Paribas Exane lowered their target price on shares of Graco from $95.00 to $85.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of Graco from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Graco from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $82.00 price target (down from $95.00) on shares of Graco in a research note on Friday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Graco has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $87.40.

About Graco

Graco Inc is a global manufacturer of equipment used to move, measure, control, dispense and apply fluids and other materials. Its products are used in industrial, commercial and residential applications involving paints, coatings, sealants, adhesives, lubricants, chemicals and other fluids.

The company’s product portfolio includes pumps, valves, meters, regulators, fluid-management systems, lubrication equipment, spray-applied coating and finishing systems, sealant and adhesive equipment, and contractor-oriented painting and texture application tools.