Just as your pulse is checked during a routine physical, free cash flow is used as an indicator of a company's health. It equals the cash brought in from operations minus the money needed to pay the bills. Think about leftover money in your checking account after you pay this month's bills.

Investors and analysts see this leftover money as a gauge of a company's ability to perform. It is available for transactions such as handing out dividends and working on new products.

Some argue free cash flow is wrongly overshadowed by the emphasis often placed on earnings. Earnings numbers can be manipulated and don't always tell the whole story -- and earnings don't mean much if there's nothing left over after a company pays its expenses. Even if you bring in a six-figure salary, but no money left after paying the bills, are you in great financial shape?

You don't have to be Einstein to figure out free cash flow. To calculate the number, subtract the company's expenditures and dividends from its operating cash flow.

If the free cash flow is written in red ink, it doesn't necessarily signal curtains. This is common for young companies looking to grow. It also could be a result of heavy investments, which in the long run could be worth a standing ovation.

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Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Graco Inc. Announces Second Quarter 2008 Earnings Conference Call

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Comtex

MINNEAPOLIS, Jul 02, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) ----Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG) announced today that it will release its Second Quarter 2008 earnings after the New York Stock Exchange closes on Wednesday, July 23, 2008. Soon after the release, a full text copy of the earnings announcement will be available at the Company's website at www.graco.com. Graco management will hold a conference call with analysts and institutional investors to discuss the results at 11:00 a.m. ET, 10:00 a.m. CT on Thursday, July 24, 2008.

A real-time listen only webcast of the conference call will be broadcast by Thomson/CCBN. Individuals wanting to listen can access the call at the Company's website at www.graco.com. Listeners should go to the website at least 15 minutes prior to the live conference call to install any necessary audio software.

The webcast is also being distributed through the Thomson StreetEvents Network to both institutional and individual investors. Individual investors can listen to the call at www.earnings.com, Thomson/CCBN's individual investor portal, powered by StreetEvents. Institutional investors can access the call via Thomson's password-protected event management site, StreetEvents (www.streetevents.com).

For those unable to listen to the live event, a replay will be available soon after the conference call at Graco's website, or by telephone beginning at approximately 2:00 p.m. ET on July 24, 2008, by dialing 800-405-2236, Conference ID # 11116708, if calling within the U.S. or Canada. The dial-in number for international participants is 303-590-3000, with the same Conference ID #. The replay by telephone will be available through July 28, 2008.

SOURCE: Graco Inc.

Media Contact Graco Inc. James A. Graner, 612-623-6635 jgraner@graco.com

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