Cahill Financial Advisors Inc. Grows Holdings in Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG)

Cahill Financial Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG) by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 24,936 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 302 shares during the quarter. Cahill Financial Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Graco were worth $2,182,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Cerity Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Graco by 93.5% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 13,380 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,171,000 after purchasing an additional 6,464 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. grew its stake in shares of Graco by 59.0% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 9,225 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $807,000 after buying an additional 3,422 shares during the last quarter. Portfolio Design Labs LLC bought a new position in Graco during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $2,139,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its stake in Graco by 5.6% during the third quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 55,004 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $4,813,000 after buying an additional 2,939 shares during the last quarter. Finally, B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG bought a new stake in Graco in the third quarter worth $686,000. 93.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Graco Price Performance

Graco stock opened at $91.08 on Friday. Graco Inc. has a one year low of $77.49 and a one year high of $94.77. The business’s fifty day moving average is $85.86 and its 200 day moving average is $82.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.38 billion, a PE ratio of 32.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.82.

Graco (NYSE:GGG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The industrial products company reported $0.71 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.76 by ($0.05). Graco had a return on equity of 21.24% and a net margin of 22.87%. The company had revenue of $519.21 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $538.19 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.76 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Graco Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Graco Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 21st were paid a dividend of $0.255 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, October 21st. This represents a $1.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.12%. Graco’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.04%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider David J. Thompson sold 3,216 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.31, for a total transaction of $284,004.96. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 27,246 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,406,094.26. This represents a 10.56 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Peter J. O’shea sold 18,075 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.76, for a total transaction of $1,604,337.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 14,516 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,288,440.16. The trade was a 55.46 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.63% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GGG has been the subject of several analyst reports. DA Davidson restated a “neutral” rating and set a $79.00 price target on shares of Graco in a report on Friday, September 27th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on shares of Graco from $88.00 to $85.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on shares of Graco from $96.00 to $93.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. 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 presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $89.25.

Graco Company 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.