Lecap Asset Management Ltd. Makes New Investment in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Lecap Asset Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 3,421 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $3,606,000. W.W. Grainger accounts for approximately 1.0% of Lecap Asset Management Ltd.'s holdings, making the stock its 7th biggest holding.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in GWW. Avestar Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 467 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $485,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares during the last quarter. Busey Bank grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Busey Bank now owns 615 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $648,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares during the period. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 43.5% during the fourth quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. CX Institutional raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 0.9% in the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 1,191 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,237,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the period. Finally, Virtue Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter. Virtue Capital Management LLC now owns 223 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $232,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GWW has been the subject of several research reports. Northcoast Research assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. They set a "neutral" rating for the company. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $1,280.00 target price for the company. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Oppenheimer downgraded W.W. Grainger from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,148.56.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

W.W. Grainger stock traded up $1.69 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $1,040.16. 62,143 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 291,536. The company has a current ratio of 2.49, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $874.98 and a twelve month high of $1,227.66. The company has a market cap of $50.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.17. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $1,098.71 and a two-hundred day moving average of $1,069.84.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $9.75 by ($0.04). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 52.43% and a net margin of 11.12%. During the same period last year, the firm posted $8.33 EPS. Equities analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.79%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is presently 21.18%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total transaction of $150,753.75. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 675 shares in the company, valued at approximately $814,070.25. The trade was a 15.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 9.50% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Profile

W.W. Grainger, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, distributes maintenance, repair, and operating products and services primarily in North America, Japan, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, High-Touch Solutions N.A. and Endless Assortment. The company provides safety, security, material handling and storage equipment, pumps and plumbing equipment, cleaning and maintenance, and metalworking and hand tools.