Barclays PLC Cuts Stock Holdings in WD-40 (NASDAQ:WDFC)

Barclays PLC reduced its position in shares of WD-40 (NASDAQ:WDFC - Free Report) by 3.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 35,876 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after selling 1,218 shares during the period. Barclays PLC owned about 0.26% of WD-40 worth $8,707,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its position in shares of WD-40 by 209.6% during the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,672 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $401,000 after acquiring an additional 1,132 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in WD-40 by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 150,557 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $36,537,000 after purchasing an additional 5,095 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in WD-40 in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $17,903,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in WD-40 by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,627,684 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $395,006,000 after purchasing an additional 16,763 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in WD-40 by 115.3% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 859 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $208,000 after purchasing an additional 460 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.52% of the company's stock.

WD-40 Stock Performance

Shares of WDFC traded down $1.24 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $223.37. 75,621 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 101,262. WD-40 has a twelve month low of $208.00 and a twelve month high of $292.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 2.44 and a quick ratio of 1.75. The company has a market capitalization of $3.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.79 and a beta of 0.03. The business's 50-day moving average price is $233.76 and its 200 day moving average price is $247.67.

WD-40 (NASDAQ:WDFC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 8th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $146.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $154.40 million. WD-40 had a return on equity of 31.68% and a net margin of 11.78%. The firm's revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.14 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that WD-40 will post 5.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

WD-40 Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 18th will be given a dividend of $0.94 per share. This represents a $3.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 17th. WD-40's payout ratio is currently 59.97%.

Insider Buying and Selling at WD-40

In related news, CFO Sara Kathleen Hyzer bought 256 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, April 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $222.83 per share, for a total transaction of $57,044.48. Following the purchase, the chief financial officer now owns 4,072 shares of the company's stock, valued at $907,363.76. This trade represents a 6.71 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.75% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, DA Davidson upgraded shares of WD-40 to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 14th.

About WD-40

WD-40 Company develops and sells maintenance products, and homecare and cleaning products in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. The company provides multi-purpose maintenance products that include aerosol sprays, non-aerosol trigger sprays, precision pens, and in liquid-bulk form products under the WD-40 Multi-Use brand name; specialty maintenance products, such as penetrants, degreasers, corrosion inhibitors, greases, lubricants, and rust removers under the WD-40 Specialist brand; and bike-specific products.