Apollon Wealth Management LLC Has $2.81 Million Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Apollon Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 80.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,666 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 1,186 shares during the period. Apollon Wealth Management LLC's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $2,810,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of 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 worth $29,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the period. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 43.5% in the fourth quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the period. AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 111.1% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its position in 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 worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of GWW traded up $0.79 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $1,028.34. The company's stock had a trading volume of 219,427 shares, compared to its average volume of 296,287. The business has a fifty day moving average of $1,089.28 and a 200 day moving average of $1,069.78. The company has a market cap of $50.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.17. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $874.98 and a 1 year high of $1,227.66. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62.

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

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.80%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is 21.18%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on GWW. Robert W. Baird upgraded W.W. Grainger from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Northcoast Research began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. They issued a "neutral" rating for the company. Oppenheimer downgraded W.W. Grainger from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Loop Capital upped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,148.56.

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.