WD-40 (NASDAQ:WDFC) Stock Holdings Lifted by Blue Trust Inc.

Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in WD-40 (NASDAQ:WDFC) by 39.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 550 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after acquiring an additional 157 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in WD-40 were worth $142,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new stake in WD-40 in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Covestor Ltd grew its holdings in shares of WD-40 by 41.3% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 226 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $58,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in WD-40 by 34.9% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 325 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $84,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV raised its holdings in shares of WD-40 by 28.6% during the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 445 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $115,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the period. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of WD-40 by 77.9% in the third quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 475 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $122,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.52% of the company’s stock.

WD-40 Trading Up 0.2 %

NASDAQ:WDFC opened at $239.58 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.90 and a beta of -0.05. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $247.93 and its 200 day moving average price is $256.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a current ratio of 2.44. WD-40 has a 52 week low of $211.03 and a 52 week high of $292.36.

WD-40 (NASDAQ:WDFC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 10th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.39 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.29 by $0.10. WD-40 had a net margin of 11.78% and a return on equity of 31.68%. The company had revenue of $153.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $147.40 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.28 EPS. WD-40’s quarterly revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that WD-40 will post 5.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

WD-40 Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 17th were given a $0.94 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 17th. This represents a $3.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.57%. This is a boost from WD-40’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.88. WD-40’s payout ratio is currently 72.03%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on WDFC shares. DA Davidson restated a “buy” rating and set a $322.00 price target on shares of WD-40 in a report on Monday, January 27th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on WD-40 from $250.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th.

Insider Transactions at WD-40

In other news, Director William B. Noble sold 1,000 shares of WD-40 stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $289.70, for a total value of $289,700.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 7,999 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,317,310.30. The trade was a 11.11 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.75% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About WD-40

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.