Zacks Research Analysts Increase Earnings Estimates for Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG)

Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research increased their FY2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Graco in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, April 17th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now forecasts that the industrial products company will earn $3.21 per share for the year, up from their previous forecast of $3.20. The consensus estimate for Graco’s current full-year earnings is $3.14 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Graco’s FY2026 earnings at $3.35 EPS.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on GGG. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Graco from $91.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. StockNews.com upgraded Graco from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Graco from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 11th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $84.80.

Graco Stock Performance

Graco stock opened at $88.42 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.07, a PEG ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.81. Graco has a 52-week low of $68.78 and a 52-week high of $94.77. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $91.19 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $84.46.

Graco (NYSE:GGG) last announced its earnings results on Monday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $0.80 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.79 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $566.64 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $565.86 million. Graco had a return on equity of 24.61% and a net margin of 23.07%.

Graco Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 1st. Investors of record on Monday, April 15th will be issued a $0.255 dividend. This represents a $1.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.15%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 12th. Graco’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.69%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Timothy R. White sold 2,895 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.49, for a total value of $253,283.55. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 50,782 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,442,917.18. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, insider Timothy R. White sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.82, for a total value of $232,050.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 48,282 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,481,535.24. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Timothy R. White sold 2,895 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.49, for a total value of $253,283.55. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 50,782 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,442,917.18. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 48,378 shares of company stock worth $4,376,528 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 2.63% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Graco

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in Graco by 16.2% in the 3rd quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 4,198 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $306,000 after buying an additional 585 shares during the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas increased its position in shares of Graco by 24.0% during the 3rd quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 147,612 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $10,758,000 after purchasing an additional 28,589 shares during the last quarter. Parsons Capital Management Inc. RI increased its position in shares of Graco by 179.4% during the 4th quarter. Parsons Capital Management Inc. RI now owns 77,867 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $6,756,000 after purchasing an additional 50,000 shares during the last quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Graco during the 4th quarter valued at $2,026,000. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new stake in shares of Graco during the 4th quarter valued at $4,112,000. 93.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Graco

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.