Renaissance Technologies LLC Sells 48,792 Shares of WD-40 Company $WDFC

Renaissance Technologies LLC lessened its holdings in shares of WD-40 Company (NASDAQ:WDFC) by 19.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 203,476 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 48,792 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC’s holdings in WD-40 were worth $41,497,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of WDFC. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of WD-40 by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,650,622 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $325,007,000 after buying an additional 47,528 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its position in WD-40 by 6.4% in the 3rd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 533,738 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $105,467,000 after acquiring an additional 32,333 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in WD-40 by 41.9% in the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 411,312 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $83,883,000 after acquiring an additional 121,358 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in WD-40 by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 405,117 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $79,778,000 after purchasing an additional 2,072 shares during the period. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its position in shares of WD-40 by 24.4% during the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 333,505 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $76,069,000 after purchasing an additional 65,423 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.52% of the company’s stock.

WD-40 Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of NASDAQ WDFC opened at $233.55 on Tuesday. WD-40 Company has a twelve month low of $175.38 and a twelve month high of $298.90. The firm has a market cap of $3.13 billion, a PE ratio of 35.49 and a beta of 0.26. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $227.85 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $222.72. The company has a quick ratio of 1.95, a current ratio of 2.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31.

WD-40 (NASDAQ:WDFC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 9th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.58 by $0.75. The business had revenue of $195.12 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $172.79 million. WD-40 had a return on equity of 33.53% and a net margin of 13.23%.The business’s revenue was up 24.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.54 EPS. WD-40 has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.050-6.350 EPS. Analysts expect that WD-40 Company will post 6.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

WD-40 Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 17th will be issued a dividend of $1.02 per share. This represents a $4.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 17th. WD-40’s dividend payout ratio is presently 62.01%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Northcoast Research raised shares of WD-40 to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. DA Davidson lifted their price objective on shares of WD-40 from $270.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating on shares of WD-40 in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of WD-40 from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, William Blair assumed coverage on shares of WD-40 in a research report on Monday, April 6th. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $305.00.

WD-40 Company Profile

WD-40 Company, headquartered in San Diego, California, is best known for its flagship WD-40® Multi-Use Product, a water-displacing spray used for lubrication, rust prevention and cleaning. Since its introduction in 1953 by the Rocket Chemical Company, the WD-40 brand has become a household and industrial staple. Over time, the company has broadened its portfolio to include complementary maintenance and cleaning brands such as 3-IN-ONE® oils, Lava® hand cleaners, Solvol® solvents, Spot Shot® stain removers and X-14® cleaning products.

WD-40 Company distributes its products in more than 176 countries through retail, industrial and automotive channels.