Zacks Research Issues Optimistic Estimate for Graco Earnings

Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG) – Analysts at Zacks Research increased their Q1 2026 earnings estimates for shares of Graco in a note issued to investors 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 previous forecast of $0.69. The consensus estimate for Graco’s current full-year earnings is $2.89 per share.

GGG has been the subject of several other research reports. BNP Paribas raised shares of Graco from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $105.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on Graco from $88.00 to $85.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Graco from $93.00 to $97.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $91.50.

Graco Stock Performance

NYSE GGG opened at $83.22 on Monday. Graco has a 52-week low of $77.49 and a 52-week high of $94.77. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $86.37 and a 200 day simple moving average of $84.66. The stock has a market cap of $14.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.41, a PEG ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.84.

Graco (NYSE:GGG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 27th. The industrial products company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.77 by ($0.13). Graco had a return on equity of 21.24% and a net margin of 22.87%.

Institutional Trading of Graco

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Graco during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in shares of Graco during the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in shares of Graco by 187.8% in the third 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 last quarter. Eastern Bank acquired a new position in shares of Graco in the third quarter valued at approximately $59,000. Finally, MilWealth Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Graco during the fourth quarter worth approximately $63,000. 93.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other Graco news, EVP Kathryn L. Schoenrock sold 1,527 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.30, for a total transaction of $137,888.10. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,374 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $575,572.20. This represents a 19.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider David J. Thompson sold 3,216 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.31, for a total transaction of $284,004.96. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 27,246 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,406,094.26. This represents a 10.56 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 31,098 shares of company stock worth $2,776,150 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 2.63% of the company’s stock.

Graco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, January 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.275 per share. This represents a $1.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.32%. This is an increase from Graco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 17th. Graco’s dividend payout ratio is currently 38.87%.

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.