Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG) Shares Bought by Whittier Trust Co.

Whittier Trust Co. raised its holdings in Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG - Free Report) by 3.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 184,103 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 6,041 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. owned 0.11% of Graco worth $15,518,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Graco in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of Graco in the third quarter valued at $30,000. National Pension Service acquired a new stake in shares of Graco during the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Graco during the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Graco in the 4th quarter valued at about $61,000. 93.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Graco Trading Up 2.1 %

Shares of NYSE GGG traded up $1.69 on Monday, reaching $83.86. 820,981 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 735,704. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.10 billion, a PE ratio of 29.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.83. Graco Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $77.49 and a fifty-two week high of $94.48. The company has a 50 day moving average of $85.04 and a 200 day moving average of $85.56.

Graco (NYSE:GGG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, January 27th. The industrial products company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.77 by ($0.13). Graco had a return on equity of 19.38% and a net margin of 23.00%. As a group, research analysts expect that Graco Inc. will post 3.06 earnings per share for the current year.

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Graco Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 14th will be paid a $0.275 dividend. This represents a $1.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.31%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 14th. Graco's dividend payout ratio is presently 39.01%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on GGG. DA Davidson set a $85.00 price target on shares of Graco in a research note on Friday, January 31st. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Graco from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $105.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price 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. Four equities 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, Graco currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $93.00.

Graco Company Profile

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.