Clark & Stuart Inc Makes New Investment in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Clark & Stuart Inc bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 1,652 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $1,741,000. W.W. Grainger makes up 1.3% of Clark & Stuart Inc's investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest position.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of GWW. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.3% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,997,191 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,074,702,000 after purchasing an additional 45,369 shares during the period. FMR LLC increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,617,149 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,679,911,000 after buying an additional 40,992 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 2.5% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,167,031 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,208,610,000 after acquiring an additional 28,626 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 8.5% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 546,960 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $568,188,000 after purchasing an additional 42,866 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 5.2% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 360,026 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $324,841,000 after buying an additional 17,699 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other W.W. Grainger news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total transaction of $778,335.36. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 9,509 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,513,055.31. This represents a 6.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,117.84, for a total transaction of $10,705,553.68. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,379 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,895,021.36. This trade represents a 68.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 10,406 shares of company stock worth $11,634,643. Insiders own 9.50% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 2.2 %

Shares of GWW traded up $23.16 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $1,075.64. The company had a trading volume of 267,796 shares, compared to its average volume of 233,884. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $52.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.16, a P/E/G ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 1.18. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $1,139.89 and a 200-day moving average price of $1,046.00. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $833.50 and a 52-week high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last posted 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). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. The firm had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.40 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $9.43 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th were paid a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is presently 22.23%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on GWW shares. Northcoast Research began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. They set a "neutral" rating for the company. StockNews.com lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. 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 objective for the company. Oppenheimer cut W.W. Grainger from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Loop Capital boosted their price target 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. One 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,140.56.

W.W. Grainger Company 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.