Zacks Research Issues Negative Estimate for Graco Earnings

Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG - Free Report) - Zacks Research lowered their Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Graco in a research report issued on Monday, February 17th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now anticipates that the industrial products company will post earnings of $0.69 per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $0.70. The consensus estimate for Graco's current full-year earnings is $3.06 per share.

Graco (NYSE:GGG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, January 27th. The industrial products company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.77 by ($0.13). Graco had a net margin of 23.00% and a return on equity of 19.38%.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on GGG. 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 report on Thursday, December 19th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on Graco from $88.00 to $85.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Graco from $93.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report 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.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $91.50.

Graco Trading Down 1.4 %

Shares of GGG stock traded down $1.18 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $86.07. 871,301 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 770,385. The company has a market capitalization of $14.59 billion, a PE ratio of 30.52, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.84. Graco has a 12-month low of $77.49 and a 12-month high of $94.77. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $84.62 and its 200-day simple moving average is $84.95.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Graco

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Creative Planning grew its position in Graco by 5.9% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 81,543 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $7,136,000 after purchasing an additional 4,514 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of Graco by 165.1% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,829 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $160,000 after acquiring an additional 1,139 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its holdings in Graco by 48.5% in the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,106 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $97,000 after acquiring an additional 361 shares during the last quarter. Eastern Bank purchased a new stake in Graco during the 3rd quarter valued at $59,000. Finally, Narwhal Capital Management increased its holdings in shares of Graco by 29.0% in the 3rd quarter. Narwhal Capital Management now owns 92,313 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $8,078,000 after purchasing an additional 20,728 shares in the last quarter. 93.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Graco

In related news, insider Caroline M. Chambers sold 8,280 shares of Graco stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.57, for a total transaction of $749,919.60. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 57,612 shares in the company, valued at $5,217,918.84. The trade was a 12.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kathryn L. Schoenrock sold 1,527 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.30, for a total value of $137,888.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 6,374 shares of the company's stock, 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. 2.63% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Graco Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 14th will be given a dividend of $0.275 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 14th. This represents a $1.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.28%. Graco's payout ratio is currently 39.01%.

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.