Zacks Research Issues Optimistic Outlook for Graco Earnings

Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research upped their Q1 2026 EPS estimates for Graco in a research note issued on Wednesday, January 22nd. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now forecasts that the industrial products company will post earnings of $0.70 per share for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $0.69. The consensus estimate for Graco’s current full-year earnings is $2.89 per share.

Several other analysts have also recently commented on GGG. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Graco from $93.00 to $97.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. BNP Paribas raised shares of Graco from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $105.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their target price on Graco from $88.00 to $85.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $91.50.

Graco Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:GGG opened at $85.62 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $14.46 billion, a PE ratio of 30.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.84. Graco has a 52 week low of $77.49 and a 52 week high of $94.77. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $86.55 and its 200-day moving average is $84.61.

Graco Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, January 20th will be paid a $0.275 dividend. This represents a $1.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.28%. This is a boost from Graco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 17th. Graco’s payout ratio is presently 38.87%.

Insider Activity at Graco

In other news, insider Peter J. O’shea sold 18,075 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 owns 14,516 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,288,440.16. This represents a 55.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider David J. Thompson sold 3,216 shares of Graco stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.31, for a total value of $284,004.96. Following the sale, the insider now owns 27,246 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,406,094.26. This trade represents a 10.56 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 31,098 shares of company stock worth $2,776,150. Insiders own 2.63% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Graco

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GGG. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in shares of Graco in the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in Graco by 187.8% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 495 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 323 shares during the last quarter. Eastern Bank bought a new stake in shares of Graco in the third quarter worth $59,000. MilWealth Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Graco during the 4th quarter valued at about $63,000. Finally, Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in Graco in the third quarter worth approximately $67,000. 93.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.