Graco (GGG) Director Eric Etchart Exercises Options, Sells 3,218 Shares

What Happened

• Eric Etchart, a non-employee director of Graco Inc. (GGG), exercised 3,218 stock options and sold the 3,218 shares on Aug 3, 2026. The options were exercised at $36.09 per share (cost = $116,127) and the shares were sold in an open-market transaction at a weighted average of $80.01 per share (proceeds ≈ $257,487). The filings show the derivative conversion tied to the exercise (reported at $0), indicating the options were converted into shares and those shares were sold.

Key Details

• Transaction date: 2026-08-03; Form 4 filed 2026-08-05 (timely).
• Exercise: 3,218 shares at $36.09 (total cost $116,127). Transaction code M (option exercise).
• Sale: 3,218 shares at weighted avg $80.01 (total proceeds ≈ $257,487). Transaction code S (sale).
• Sale price range: $79.97–$80.04 (weighted avg reported; filer will provide breakdown if requested). (Footnote F2)
• Option grant/status: Nonemployee director stock option granted under the Graco 2015 Stock Incentive Plan; fully exercisable and transaction exempt under Rule 16b-3. (Footnote F3)
• Shares owned after the transaction: Not specified in this filing. The filing notes that reported ownership includes shares held via the company’s dividend reinvestment plan (Footnote F1).
• Filing timeliness: No late filing indicated.

Context

• This was an exercise-plus-sale (effectively a cashless or immediate-sale transaction): the director exercised options and immediately sold the resulting shares, monetizing the gain. Such transactions by directors are often routine (e.g., to realize gains or for diversification) rather than an explicit signal of company outlook. There is no indication Etchart is a 10% owner or that this was a gift or other non-sale transfer.