Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $96.50.

Several research analysts have issued reports on GGG shares. Robert W. Baird set a $96.00 price objective on Graco in a research note on Wednesday. KeyCorp restated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Graco in a research report on Tuesday. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on Graco from $97.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Graco from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Graco in a report on Thursday, January 22nd.

Graco Price Performance

Shares of Graco stock traded down $0.56 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $87.09. 567,575 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 836,000. The company has a market cap of $14.44 billion, a PE ratio of 28.23, a PEG ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 1.09. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $83.83 and its 200 day moving average price is $83.92. Graco has a twelve month low of $72.06 and a twelve month high of $89.67.

Graco (NYSE:GGG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 26th. The industrial products company reported $0.77 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.77. The firm had revenue of $593.16 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $591.99 million. Graco had a net margin of 23.33% and a return on equity of 19.73%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.64 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Graco will post 3.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Graco announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Friday, December 5th that authorizes the company to repurchase 15,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the industrial products company to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Graco Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, January 19th will be given a $0.295 dividend. This represents a $1.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 16th. This is a boost from Graco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. Graco’s dividend payout ratio is 40.27%.

Institutional Trading of Graco

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its position in Graco by 432.6% during the 3rd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 85,654 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $7,263,000 after acquiring an additional 69,573 shares during the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. increased its stake in shares of Graco by 154.2% during the 3rd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 64,341 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $5,466,000 after purchasing an additional 39,031 shares during the last quarter. Addenda Capital Inc. acquired a new position in Graco during the third quarter worth approximately $4,837,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in Graco by 18.3% in the 3rd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 81,202 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $6,899,000 after acquiring an additional 12,575 shares during the period. Finally, Rakuten Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Graco in the third quarter valued at about $2,477,000. 93.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Graco

Here are the key news stories impacting Graco this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted margin expansion driven by acquisition integration and operational discipline — a structural improvement that supports higher profits going forward. GGG Q4 deep dive
• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada raised its price target to $100 and maintained an “outperform” view, signaling analyst confidence and providing upside potential. RBC price target raise
• Positive Sentiment: Company reported strong Q4 and full-year results: record quarterly and annual sales, operating earnings and net earnings up double digits year-over-year — evidence of operational leverage. BusinessWire: Record sales
• Neutral Sentiment: Quarterly headline metrics were broadly in line with Street expectations: EPS of $0.77 (consensus) and revenue up ~8% YoY — solid execution but not a large surprise. MarketBeat: Q4 summary
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call transcripts and analyst notes are available for color on regional trends, acquisition impacts and cash flow — useful for investors parsing guidance and margin drivers. Earnings transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Some analysts show divergent views on industrial names including GGG, reflecting mixed expectations for 2026 end-markets. Globe and Mail: conflicting analyst views
• Negative Sentiment: Management gave cautious growth guidance for 2026; investors are weighing margin gains against slower top-line expectations, which is pressuring the stock. Yahoo: investor reaction to guidance
• Negative Sentiment: Some reports flag a slight revenue variance versus certain estimates and recent insider sales, which can be viewed negatively by the market. Quiver: slight revenue variance & insider sales

Graco Company Profile

Graco Inc is a leading manufacturer of fluid handling systems and components, headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Founded in 1926, the company has built a reputation for innovation in spray finishing, lubrication, and fluid management technologies. Graco’s solutions are designed to address the needs of paint and coatings applicators, general industry, and process fluids in a variety of end markets.

The company’s product portfolio includes airless and air-assisted spray equipment, pumps for oil and gas applications, industrial lubrication systems, and automated dispensing equipment.