Generac (NYSE:GNRC) Sets New 52-Week High – Still a Buy?

Generac Holdings Inc. (NYSE:GNRC) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $211.25 and last traded at $199.9210, with a volume of 893209 shares. The stock had previously closed at $182.30.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Zacks Research cut Generac from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Generac from $197.00 to $186.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Citigroup raised shares of Generac from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $207.00 target price on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 8th. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Generac from $220.00 to $215.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Roth Mkm set a $184.00 price target on shares of Generac and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $195.29.

Generac Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $12.57 billion, a PE ratio of 40.65, a P/E/G ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 2.18 and a quick ratio of 1.02. The business’s 50 day moving average is $158.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $169.41.

Generac (NYSE:GNRC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The technology company reported $1.61 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.81 by ($0.20). The company had revenue of $1.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.16 billion. Generac had a return on equity of 17.63% and a net margin of 6.92%.Generac’s quarterly revenue was down 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.80 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Generac Holdings Inc. will post 8 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Generac

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GNRC. MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new position in shares of Generac in the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Generac during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. First Horizon Corp bought a new stake in Generac in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Sentry Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Generac by 69.8% in the third quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC now owns 163 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quent Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Generac in the third quarter worth approximately $41,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.04% of the company’s stock.

About Generac

Generac Holdings Inc (NYSE: GNRC) is a leading manufacturer of backup power generation products for residential, commercial and industrial applications. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of standby and portable generators, transfer switches and power management systems designed to provide reliable electricity during power outages and other critical situations. With an emphasis on innovation, Generac has expanded its offerings to include clean energy technologies such as battery storage and integrated solar-plus-storage systems.

Generac’s product lineup addresses a broad range of customer needs.