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Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG - Get Rating) was the target of a large increase in short interest in October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,710,000 shares, an increase of 29.0% from the September 30th total of 2,100,000 shares. Approximately 1.6% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 621,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.4 days. Graco Stock Up 3.6 %

GGG stock opened at $69.41 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $63.50 and a two-hundred day moving average of $63.07. The company has a market cap of $11.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.49, a PEG ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 0.78. Graco has a 12-month low of $56.48 and a 12-month high of $81.09. The company has a quick ratio of 1.95, a current ratio of 2.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04.

Graco (NYSE:GGG - Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 27th. The industrial products company reported $0.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.67 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $548.55 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $533.49 million. Graco had a net margin of 21.37% and a return on equity of 25.74%. Graco's revenue for the quarter was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.62 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Graco will post 2.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Graco Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, October 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.21%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 14th. Graco's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.06%. Insider Transactions at Graco

In other news, EVP David M. Ahlers sold 44,949 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.77, for a total transaction of $3,181,040.73. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 65,135 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,609,603.95. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 3.52% of the company's stock. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Graco

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in GGG. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D raised its position in Graco by 8.2% during the third quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 81,005 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $4,856,000 after acquiring an additional 6,126 shares in the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Graco by 87.5% during the 3rd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 30,286 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,816,000 after purchasing an additional 14,133 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE raised its holdings in shares of Graco by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 283,351 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $16,987,000 after purchasing an additional 2,871 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake in shares of Graco by 9.9% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 5,769 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $346,000 after purchasing an additional 519 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Synovus Financial Corp boosted its holdings in Graco by 1.0% in the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 24,312 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,457,000 after purchasing an additional 247 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.47% of the company's stock. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GGG has been the subject of several research reports. StockNews.com raised Graco from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday. Robert W. Baird downgraded Graco from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $61.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Thursday, July 14th. Finally, DA Davidson dropped their price target on Graco to $70.00 in a research report on Tuesday, August 9th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Graco has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $67.00.About Graco (Get Rating)

Graco Inc designs, manufactures, and markets systems and equipment used to move, measure, control, dispense, and spray fluid and powder materials worldwide. The company's Industrial segment offers proportioning systems to spray polyurethane foam and polyurea coatings; equipment that pumps, meters, mixes and dispenses sealant, adhesive, and composite materials; and gel-coat equipment, chop and wet-out systems, resin transfer molding systems and applicators, and precision dispensing solutions.See AlsoGet a free copy of the StockNews.com research report on Graco (GGG)Will Demand from EV Makers Drive Up Freeport-McMoRan stock?Shopify Stock Price Surges as Losses Narrow, Investments Pay OffMarketBeat: Week in Review 10/24-10/28McDonald’s Stock Sizzles, but Will it Hit a New All-Time High?Apple Inc. Stock Q4 Results Beat Negative Outlook, Stock Rises

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