C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors Purchases New Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 6,097 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $6,427,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 250.0% in the third quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings 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 valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its holdings 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 valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at about $47,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 1.6 %

Shares of GWW stock traded down $16.23 on Friday, hitting $1,008.08. 285,074 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 297,396. The company has a current ratio of 2.49, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $49.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.17. The business has a 50-day moving average of $1,072.84 and a 200 day moving average of $1,072.39. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $874.98 and a fifty-two week high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 earned $8.33 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be given 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 0.81%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is currently 21.18%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on GWW. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada decreased 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 note on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on 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. StockNews.com cut W.W. Grainger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, UBS Group assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $1,280.00 target price for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger has a consensus 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.