80,816 Shares in Graco Inc. $GGG Acquired by WINTON GROUP Ltd

WINTON GROUP Ltd bought a new position in shares of Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 80,816 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,624,000.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GGG. Taylor Hoffman Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Graco by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Taylor Hoffman Capital Management LLC now owns 47,565 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,899,000 after purchasing an additional 308 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Graco by 56.0% in the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 6,095 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $500,000 after purchasing an additional 2,187 shares during the last quarter. Prudential PLC increased its position in shares of Graco by 11.6% in the 4th quarter. Prudential PLC now owns 153,131 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $12,552,000 after purchasing an additional 15,959 shares during the last quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Graco in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $320,000. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Graco by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 21,046 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,725,000 after purchasing an additional 532 shares during the last quarter. 93.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Graco Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:GGG opened at $74.28 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $80.56 and its 200 day moving average price is $84.47. Graco Inc. has a 12 month low of $73.48 and a 12 month high of $95.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.20, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.93.

Graco (NYSE:GGG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The industrial products company reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $561.35 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.70 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Graco Inc. will post 3.1 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Graco

In related news, Director Andrea Helen Simon acquired 1,240 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The stock was bought at an average price of $80.53 per share, for a total transaction of $99,857.20. Following the completion of the purchase, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 2.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on GGG. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $95.00 price objective on shares of Graco in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on shares of Graco from $96.00 to $92.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 24th. DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $85.00 price objective on shares of Graco in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Graco from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $94.25.

Graco Company Profile

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.