Graco Inc. $GGG Stock Sold by Vest Financial LLC

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

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Root Financial Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Graco by 43.2% in the 1st quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 504 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 152 shares during the period. Essential Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Graco by 78.6% in the 1st quarter. Essential Partners LLC now owns 359 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 158 shares during the last quarter. CWS Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Graco by 2.8% in the 1st quarter. CWS Financial Advisors LLC now owns 7,022 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $594,000 after buying an additional 193 shares during the last quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. increased its stake in shares of Graco by 5.0% during the second quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 5,270 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $398,000 after buying an additional 249 shares during the period. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc increased its stake in shares of Graco by 30.9% during the third quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,056 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $81,000 after buying an additional 249 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.88% of the company’s stock.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $85.00 price target on shares of Graco in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Robert W. Baird set a $80.00 price objective on shares of Graco in a research report on Friday. BNP Paribas Exane decreased their price objective on shares of Graco from $95.00 to $85.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $82.00 price objective (down from $95.00) on shares of Graco in a report on Friday. Finally, Wolfe Research cut shares of Graco from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $87.40.

Graco Stock Performance

Shares of Graco stock opened at $66.94 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.12, a quick ratio of 2.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.89. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $78.22 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $78.33. Graco Inc. has a 12 month low of $66.55 and a 12 month high of $95.69.

Graco (NYSE:GGG) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 21st. The industrial products company reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.83 by ($0.02). The business 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 firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.73 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Graco Inc. will post 3.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Graco Announces Dividend

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

Graco Profile

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.