531 Shares in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Acquired by Hilltop Holdings Inc.

Hilltop Holdings Inc. acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 531 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $551,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in GWW. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 250.0% during the 3rd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 111.1% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Triad Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter worth $42,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 38.9% in the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 50 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total value of $13,481,538.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 98,567 shares in the company, valued at approximately $102,281,004.56. This represents a 11.65 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 675 shares in the company, valued at $814,070.25. The trade was a 15.63 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 50,900 shares of company stock worth $52,640,733. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on GWW shares. StockNews.com upgraded W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Northcoast Research began coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. They set a "neutral" rating for the company. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, UBS Group assumed 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 price target for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,109.00.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

GWW stock traded down $3.49 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $1,185.16. The company had a trading volume of 194,709 shares, compared to its average volume of 233,324. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $1,129.66 and a 200-day moving average price of $1,012.61. The company has a market capitalization of $57.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.09, a P/E/G ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 1.16. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $800.97 and a 1 year high of $1,227.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 2.59 and a quick ratio of 1.68.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.98 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. W.W. Grainger's revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $9.43 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th were paid a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.69%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.23%.

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.