278,161 Shares in Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG) Bought by Sarasin & Partners LLP

Sarasin & Partners LLP bought a new position in shares of Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 278,161 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $23,446,000. Sarasin & Partners LLP owned 0.16% of Graco as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of GGG. Seilern Investment Management Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Graco during the 4th quarter valued at $10,376,000. HB Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Graco during the fourth quarter worth $261,000. Trust Co. of Vermont lifted its holdings in shares of Graco by 102.9% during the fourth quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 2,435 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $205,000 after purchasing an additional 1,235 shares during the last quarter. Canoe Financial LP boosted its position in shares of Graco by 359.2% in the 4th quarter. Canoe Financial LP now owns 640,474 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $53,986,000 after purchasing an additional 501,003 shares during the period. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group increased its stake in Graco by 39.1% in the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 484 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. 93.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Graco Trading Up 0.3 %

GGG stock traded up $0.24 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $85.26. The company had a trading volume of 582,362 shares, compared to its average volume of 591,196. The company has a 50 day moving average of $86.87 and a two-hundred day moving average of $84.36. The company has a market capitalization of $14.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.13, a PEG ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.84. Graco Inc. has a 1 year low of $77.49 and a 1 year high of $94.77.

Graco (NYSE:GGG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The industrial products company reported $0.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.76 by ($0.05). Graco had a net margin of 22.87% and a return on equity of 21.24%. The firm had revenue of $519.21 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $538.19 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.76 EPS. Graco's revenue for the quarter was down 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Graco Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Graco Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 5th. Investors of record on Monday, January 20th will be paid a $0.275 dividend. This is a boost from Graco's previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 17th. This represents a $1.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.29%. Graco's payout ratio is presently 36.04%.

Insider Activity at Graco

In related news, insider Peter J. O'shea sold 18,075 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.76, for a total value of $1,604,337.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 14,516 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,288,440.16. The trade was a 55.46 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Kathryn L. Schoenrock sold 1,527 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.30, for a total value of $137,888.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 6,374 shares in the company, valued at approximately $575,572.20. This trade represents a 19.33 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 31,098 shares of company stock valued at $2,776,150. 2.63% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on GGG. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on shares of Graco from $88.00 to $85.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Graco from $93.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. BNP Paribas raised shares of Graco from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $105.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, DA Davidson restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $79.00 target price on shares of Graco in a report on Friday, September 27th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $91.50.

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.