B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG Takes Position in Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new position in shares of Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG) during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund acquired 7,843 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $686,000.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in GGG. Gradient Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Graco in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. New Covenant Trust Company N.A. purchased a new stake in Graco in the 1st quarter worth approximately $43,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in Graco by 187.8% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 495 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 323 shares during the period. Eastern Bank purchased a new position in shares of Graco during the 3rd quarter valued at $59,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Graco by 220.9% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 690 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 475 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.88% of the company’s stock.

Graco Trading Up 1.7 %

GGG opened at $91.08 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.18, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.82. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $85.86 and a 200-day moving average price of $82.73. Graco Inc. has a 12-month low of $77.49 and a 12-month high of $94.77.

Graco (NYSE:GGG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The industrial products company reported $0.71 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.76 by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $519.21 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $538.19 million. Graco had a net margin of 22.87% and a return on equity of 21.24%. The firm’s revenue was down 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.76 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Graco Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current year.

Graco Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, October 21st were paid a $0.255 dividend. This represents a $1.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.12%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, October 21st. Graco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.04%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $79.00 price objective on shares of Graco in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on Graco from $96.00 to $93.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on shares of Graco from $88.00 to $85.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Graco has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $89.25.

Insider Buying and Selling at Graco

In related news, insider David J. Thompson sold 3,216 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.31, for a total value of $284,004.96. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 27,246 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,406,094.26. This trade represents a 10.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Peter J. O’shea sold 18,075 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.76, for a total value of $1,604,337.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 14,516 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,288,440.16. The trade was a 55.46 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 2.63% of the company’s stock.

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.