Everence Capital Management Inc. Sells 110 Shares of WD-40 (NASDAQ:WDFC)

Everence Capital Management Inc. lowered its position in shares of WD-40 (NASDAQ:WDFC) by 6.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,700 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 110 shares during the quarter. Everence Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in WD-40 were worth $413,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WDFC. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of WD-40 by 5.4% during the 2nd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 14,864 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $3,265,000 after purchasing an additional 755 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System grew its position in shares of WD-40 by 1.8% during the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 3,794 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $833,000 after buying an additional 68 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of WD-40 in the 2nd quarter valued at $547,000. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp lifted its position in shares of WD-40 by 22.2% during the 2nd quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 14,499 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $3,185,000 after acquiring an additional 2,630 shares during the period. Finally, Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. boosted its stake in WD-40 by 13.7% during the second quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. now owns 92,005 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $20,208,000 after acquiring an additional 11,112 shares in the last quarter. 91.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director William B. Noble sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $289.70, for a total transaction of $289,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 7,999 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,317,310.30. This trade represents a 11.11 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.75% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

WD-40 Trading Down 0.5 %

WDFC opened at $238.74 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.24 billion, a PE ratio of 46.72 and a beta of -0.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 2.47 and a quick ratio of 1.70. WD-40 has a fifty-two week low of $211.03 and a fifty-two week high of $292.36. The company’s 50-day moving average is $267.17 and its 200 day moving average is $255.86.

WD-40 (NASDAQ:WDFC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 17th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.34 by ($0.11). WD-40 had a net margin of 11.79% and a return on equity of 31.53%. The company had revenue of $156.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $149.20 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.21 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that WD-40 will post 5.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

WD-40 Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 17th will be issued a $0.94 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 17th. This represents a $3.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.57%. This is an increase from WD-40’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.88. WD-40’s dividend payout ratio is currently 73.58%.

WD-40 Profile

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.