LPL Financial LLC Raises Position in WD-40 (NASDAQ:WDFC)

LPL Financial LLC raised its stake in WD-40 (NASDAQ:WDFC - Free Report) by 26.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,403 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after buying an additional 1,966 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC owned approximately 0.07% of WD-40 worth $2,282,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new position in WD-40 during the 4th quarter valued at about $680,000. Sei Investments Co. raised its position in shares of WD-40 by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 3,141 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $763,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. raised its position in shares of WD-40 by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 23,035 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $5,590,000 after purchasing an additional 1,137 shares during the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. lifted its stake in WD-40 by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 45,083 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $10,941,000 after buying an additional 1,617 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Teacher Retirement System of Texas acquired a new stake in WD-40 during the 4th quarter valued at $1,192,000. 91.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, DA Davidson raised WD-40 to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 14th.

WD-40 Trading Up 2.3 %

WDFC stock traded up $5.08 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $222.76. The stock had a trading volume of 105,446 shares, compared to its average volume of 101,800. WD-40 has a 12-month low of $208.00 and a 12-month high of $292.36. The firm has a market cap of $3.02 billion, a PE ratio of 42.67 and a beta of 0.03. The company's 50-day moving average price is $234.52 and its 200 day moving average price is $248.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 2.44 and a quick ratio of 1.75.

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

WD-40 Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.94 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 17th. This represents a $3.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.69%. WD-40's payout ratio is 59.97%.

Insider Activity at WD-40

In other news, CFO Sara Kathleen Hyzer acquired 256 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 acquisition, the chief financial officer now directly owns 4,072 shares in the company, valued at $907,363.76. This trade represents a 6.71 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.75% of the stock is owned by insiders.

WD-40 Profile

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.