Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG) Insider Jeffrey P. Johnson Sells 15,252 Shares of Stock

Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG – Get Rating) insider Jeffrey P. Johnson sold 15,252 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.55, for a total transaction of $1,198,044.60. Following the sale, the insider now owns 30,835 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,422,089.25. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Graco Stock Performance

Graco stock opened at $76.99 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $12.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 3.38 and a quick ratio of 2.07. Graco Inc. has a 12-month low of $56.48 and a 12-month high of $80.90. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $73.12 and its 200 day moving average price is $70.47.

Graco (NYSE:GGG – Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 26th. The industrial products company reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $529.65 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $501.87 million. Graco had a net margin of 22.44% and a return on equity of 26.12%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.57 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Graco Inc. will post 3.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in Graco by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,794 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $322,000 after buying an additional 140 shares during the period. Taylor Hoffman Wealth Management increased its stake in Graco by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Taylor Hoffman Wealth Management now owns 39,207 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,350,000 after buying an additional 145 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its stake in Graco by 52.5% in the 1st quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 421 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 145 shares during the period. Brown Advisory Inc. increased its stake in Graco by 3.3% in the 1st quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 4,659 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $340,000 after buying an additional 149 shares during the period. Finally, OLD National Bancorp IN increased its stake in shares of Graco by 3.1% during the 1st quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN now owns 5,417 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $395,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. 85.85% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on GGG shares. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Graco in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Graco from $82.00 to $89.00 in a research note on Friday, April 28th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Graco from $75.00 to $83.00 in a research note on Friday, April 28th. DA Davidson raised their target price on shares of Graco from $70.00 to $75.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 27th. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Graco from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $79.25.

Graco Company Profile

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Graco, Inc is a manufacturing company, which engages in the design, manufacture, and sale of systems and equipment used to move, measure, control, dispense, and spray fluid and powder materials. It operates through the following segments: Industrial, Process, and Contractor. The Industrial segment markets equipment and pre-engineered packages for moving and applying paints, coatings, sealants, adhesives, and other fluids.