Barclays PLC Increases Position in WD-40 (NASDAQ:WDFC)

Barclays PLC raised its position in shares of WD-40 (NASDAQ:WDFC) by 309.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 37,094 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after buying an additional 28,039 shares during the period. Barclays PLC owned about 0.27% of WD-40 worth $9,566,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Covestor Ltd lifted its stake in WD-40 by 41.3% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 226 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $58,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System boosted its stake in shares of WD-40 by 1.8% in the second quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 3,794 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $833,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of WD-40 by 34.9% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 325 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $84,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in WD-40 by 28.9% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 393 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $101,000 after buying an additional 88 shares during the period. Finally, KBC Group NV lifted its holdings in WD-40 by 28.6% during the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 445 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $115,000 after buying an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. 91.52% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director William B. Noble sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $289.70, for a total transaction of $289,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 7,999 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,317,310.30. The trade was a 11.11 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.75% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on WDFC. DA Davidson restated a “buy” rating and issued a $322.00 price target on shares of WD-40 in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on WD-40 from $250.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th.

WD-40 Stock Down 0.9 %

WDFC stock opened at $264.40 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $270.79 and its 200 day moving average price is $253.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.70 and a beta of -0.07. WD-40 has a fifty-two week low of $211.03 and a fifty-two week high of $292.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 1.70 and a current ratio of 2.47.

WD-40 (NASDAQ:WDFC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 17th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.23 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.34 by ($0.11). WD-40 had a net margin of 11.79% and a return on equity of 31.53%. The firm had revenue of $156.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $149.20 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.21 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that WD-40 will post 5.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

WD-40 Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 17th will be paid a $0.94 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 17th. This is a boost from WD-40’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.88. This represents a $3.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.42%. WD-40’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 73.58%.

WD-40 Company Profile

WD-40 Company develops and sells maintenance products, and homecare and cleaning products in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. The company provides multi-purpose maintenance products that include aerosol sprays, non-aerosol trigger sprays, precision pens, and in liquid-bulk form products under the WD-40 Multi-Use brand name; specialty maintenance products, such as penetrants, degreasers, corrosion inhibitors, greases, lubricants, and rust removers under the WD-40 Specialist brand; and bike-specific products.