Maren Capital LLC Acquires 19,176 Shares of Graco Inc. $GGG

Maren Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG) by 2.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 788,649 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 19,176 shares during the period. Graco makes up 3.5% of Maren Capital LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 13th biggest holding. Maren Capital LLC’s holdings in Graco were worth $64,646,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Graco by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,813,877 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $640,503,000 after acquiring an additional 242,817 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Graco by 5.9% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,652,241 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $380,642,000 after purchasing an additional 261,126 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley grew its position in Graco by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 4,057,036 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $332,556,000 after purchasing an additional 206,949 shares in the last quarter. Amundi grew its position in Graco by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 2,076,887 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $176,016,000 after purchasing an additional 53,126 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in Graco in the 4th quarter worth about $161,949,000. 93.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Graco

In related news, Director Andrea Helen Simon bought 1,240 shares of Graco stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $80.53 per share, with a total value of $99,857.20. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 1,240 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $99,857.20. The trade was 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 the SEC website. 2.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key Graco News

Here are the key news stories impacting Graco this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its FY2026 EPS estimate for Graco to $3.10 from $3.09, suggesting earnings expectations are holding steady heading into the rest of the year.
• Positive Sentiment: A bullish thesis on Graco was highlighted by Insider Monkey, reflecting investor interest in the stock’s valuation and long-term industrial growth potential. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Kalkine Media published a piece exploring whether Russell 1000 momentum could help Graco’s global industrial reach, which appears more thematic than a direct catalyst. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research trimmed several forward EPS estimates for Graco, including Q2 2027, Q3 2027, Q4 2027, FY2027, and FY2028, which may weigh on sentiment by suggesting slower longer-term earnings growth.
• Negative Sentiment: The stock also remains below its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, reinforcing the view that recent price action has been weak despite the latest analyst updates.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GGG has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $85.00 price objective on shares of Graco in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Graco from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Friday, June 5th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on shares of Graco from $96.00 to $92.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $95.00 price objective on shares of Graco in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Graco currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $94.25.

Graco Stock Performance

Shares of GGG stock opened at $74.45 on Monday. Graco Inc. has a 52-week low of $73.26 and a 52-week high of $95.69. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $79.57 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $84.30. The company has a market capitalization of $12.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.25, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.93.

Graco (NYSE:GGG) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The industrial products company reported $0.66 earnings per share 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 period in the prior year, the company earned $0.70 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Graco Inc. will post 3.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Graco Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 20th will be given a dividend of $0.295 per share. This represents a $1.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 20th. Graco’s dividend payout ratio is currently 38.44%.

About Graco

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.