SageView Advisory Group LLC Acquires Shares of 8,289 Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG)

SageView Advisory Group LLC acquired a new position in Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 8,289 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $720,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. raised its stake in shares of Graco by 5.5% in the third quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 3,004 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $219,000 after buying an additional 157 shares during the period. Lindbrook Capital LLC boosted its position in Graco by 24.3% during the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 931 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $81,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the period. D.B. Root & Company LLC increased its stake in shares of Graco by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. D.B. Root & Company LLC now owns 12,421 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,078,000 after purchasing an additional 205 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co raised its position in shares of Graco by 2.5% in the third quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 10,344 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $754,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares during the period. Finally, Carlson Capital Management lifted its stake in shares of Graco by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Carlson Capital Management now owns 72,987 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $5,319,000 after buying an additional 280 shares in the last quarter. 93.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Graco Trading Up 1.1 %

GGG stock opened at $80.13 on Tuesday. Graco Inc. has a 1-year low of $69.78 and a 1-year high of $94.77. The stock has a market cap of $13.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.82. The company’s 50 day moving average is $83.29 and its 200 day moving average is $86.23.

Graco (NYSE:GGG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The industrial products company reported $0.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.74 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $492.19 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $536.19 million. Graco had a return on equity of 23.01% and a net margin of 23.15%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.74 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Graco Inc. will post 3.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Graco Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 7th. Investors of record on Monday, July 22nd will be given a $0.255 dividend. This represents a $1.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.27%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 22nd. Graco’s payout ratio is presently 35.17%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on GGG shares. William Blair reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Graco in a report on Friday, April 26th. StockNews.com lowered Graco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 12th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on Graco from $90.00 to $87.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 26th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $88.25.

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.