Aigen Investment Management LP Makes New Investment in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Aigen Investment Management LP bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 776 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $806,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the second quarter valued at $26,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 250.0% during the third quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the first quarter valued at about $41,000. Triad Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the second quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 537.5% during the first quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 51 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.5 %

NYSE GWW traded down $5.95 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $1,202.39. 186,056 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 234,965. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $1,069.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $985.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 2.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $772.13 and a 52 week high of $1,227.66. The stock has a market cap of $58.56 billion, a PE ratio of 32.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.34 and a beta of 1.15.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.98 by ($0.11). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. The company had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.40 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $9.43 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be given a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.68%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.23%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GWW has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Loop Capital raised their price target on W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. UBS Group initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday. They set a "neutral" rating and a $1,280.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Monday, October 7th. They issued an "underperform" rating and a $925.00 target price on the stock. Northcoast Research initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. They issued a "neutral" rating on the stock. Finally, Baird R W raised W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,086.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total transaction of $27,524,551.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at $111,650,478.38. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In related news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total value of $778,335.36. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 9,509 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,513,055.31. The trade was a 0.00 % 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. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total value of $27,524,551.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 111,559 shares of the company's stock, valued at $111,650,478.38. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 50,775 shares of company stock worth $52,489,979 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 9.50% of the company's stock.

About W.W. Grainger

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.