Centiva Capital LP Makes New Investment in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Centiva Capital LP acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 767 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $797,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of GWW. Ascent Group LLC increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 304 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $316,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc. bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the third quarter worth $3,456,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the third quarter valued at $327,000. B&L Asset Management LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter worth $208,000. Finally, Erste Asset Management GmbH acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter worth about $16,988,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total value of $150,753.75. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 675 shares in the company, valued at approximately $814,070.25. This represents a 15.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 $102,281,004.56. This trade represents a 11.65 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 50,900 shares of company stock valued at $52,640,733. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

GWW traded down $3.49 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $1,185.16. The stock had a trading volume of 194,709 shares, compared to its average volume of 206,958. 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 quick ratio of 1.68 and a current ratio of 2.59. The business has a fifty day moving average of $1,132.65 and a 200 day moving average of $1,014.63. The company has a market cap of $57.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 1.16.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $9.98 by ($0.11). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. The company had revenue of $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.40 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $9.43 EPS. The company's revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.94 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. Investors of record on Monday, November 11th were issued a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.69%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.23%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on GWW. Baird R W upgraded W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Wolfe Research raised shares of W.W. Grainger to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, September 22nd. Northcoast Research started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note 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 report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, StockNews.com raised W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,109.00.

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.