Graco Inc. $GGG Position Boosted by Teacher Retirement System of Texas

Teacher Retirement System of Texas grew its holdings in Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG) by 53.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 75,508 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 26,403 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas’ holdings in Graco were worth $6,415,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Graco during the 2nd quarter valued at $170,661,000. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Graco by 116.8% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 735,146 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $63,201,000 after acquiring an additional 396,125 shares in the last quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH boosted its position in Graco by 55.7% during the second quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 693,111 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $59,587,000 after purchasing an additional 248,056 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. grew its stake in Graco by 94.6% in the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 508,176 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $43,688,000 after purchasing an additional 246,984 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC increased its position in Graco by 3,165.4% in the 2nd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 249,703 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $21,467,000 after purchasing an additional 242,056 shares during the last quarter. 93.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Graco Price Performance

Graco stock opened at $86.79 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $14.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.09. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $83.66 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $83.92. Graco Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $72.06 and a fifty-two week high of $89.67.

Graco (NYSE:GGG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, January 26th. The industrial products company reported $0.77 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.77. The business had revenue of $593.16 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $591.99 million. Graco had a return on equity of 18.89% and a net margin of 22.72%.The firm’s revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.64 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Graco Inc. will post 3.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Graco Increases Dividend

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

Graco announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share 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 purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on GGG. Robert W. Baird set a $89.00 price target on Graco in a report on Friday, October 24th. KeyCorp reiterated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Graco in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Graco in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Graco in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Graco currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $87.00.

Graco News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Graco this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Record quarterly and full‑year sales with strong margin expansion — operating earnings and net income increased ~22% and the company called out record sales for the quarter and year, supporting a constructive fundamental picture. Business Wire — Graco Finishes Year with Record Quarterly and Annual Sales
• Positive Sentiment: Year‑over‑year revenue and EPS growth — revenue roughly $593M (+8.1% YoY) and EPS improved from $0.64 to $0.77, showing top‑line momentum and operating leverage that can support valuation. Press Release / Slide Deck
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings broadly in line with expectations — most outlets report Q4 EPS of $0.77, matching consensus, which is neutral for the stock since beats tend to move shares more than prints that meet estimates. Zacks — Q4 Earnings vs Estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: No material forward guidance change disclosed in headlines — absence or conservatism in guidance could keep the move muted until conference‑call color on orders and end markets. Business Wire — Release
• Negative Sentiment: Slight revenue miss in some datafeeds — one report notes revenue narrowly missed a third‑party estimate (≈$593.2M vs ~$595.7M), which can temper upside in a market that rewards beats. QuiverQuant — Q4 Results & Slight Revenue Miss
• Negative Sentiment: Recent insider selling called out in filings — a small number of insider sales were reported, which some investors view as a mild negative signal. QuiverQuant — Insider Activity

About Graco

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.