Graco (NYSE:GGG) Reaches New 1-Year Low – Time to Sell?

Shares of Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG) hit a new 52-week low on Monday . The stock traded as low as $77.21 and last traded at $77.4390, with a volume of 22778 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $77.59.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $95.00 target price on shares of Graco in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Graco from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Graco from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. KeyCorp restated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Graco in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $85.00 price target on shares of Graco in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $94.25.

Graco Trading Down 0.1%

The stock has a market capitalization of $12.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.96. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $86.00 and its 200 day simple moving average is $85.39.

Graco (NYSE:GGG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The industrial products company reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.75 by ($0.09). Graco had a net margin of 22.96% and a return on equity of 18.66%. The company had revenue of $540.14 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $561.35 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.70 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Graco Inc. will post 3.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Graco Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 13th were issued a dividend of $0.295 per share. This represents a $1.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, April 13th. Graco’s dividend payout ratio is 38.44%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Graco

In other Graco news, Director Andrea Helen Simon bought 1,240 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $80.53 per share, with a total value of $99,857.20. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 1,240 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $99,857.20. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 2.18% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Graco

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Graco during the first quarter worth $26,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Graco by 2,650.0% during the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 330 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 318 shares during the period. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Graco during the third quarter worth $29,000. CX Institutional raised its holdings in shares of Graco by 316.7% during the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 475 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 361 shares during the period. Finally, Assetmark Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Graco by 42.6% during the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 465 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares during the period. 93.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Graco Company Profile

Graco Inc is a leading manufacturer of fluid handling systems and components, headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Founded in 1926, the company has built a reputation for innovation in spray finishing, lubrication, and fluid management technologies. Graco’s solutions are designed to address the needs of paint and coatings applicators, general industry, and process fluids in a variety of end markets.

The company’s product portfolio includes airless and air-assisted spray equipment, pumps for oil and gas applications, industrial lubrication systems, and automated dispensing equipment.