Guggenheim Capital LLC Acquires 850 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Guggenheim Capital LLC lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 13.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 7,041 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 850 shares during the quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $7,422,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,330,688 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $5,618,812,000 after buying an additional 40,376 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,194,747 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,256,400,000 after purchasing an additional 27,716 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 28.9% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 514,326 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $542,126,000 after purchasing an additional 115,290 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at about $535,910,000. Finally, Amundi grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 14.7% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 459,536 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $491,170,000 after purchasing an additional 58,978 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total value of $1,160,647.68. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,235 shares in the company, valued at $10,205,523.20. The trade was a 10.21 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock traded up $3.47 on Wednesday, hitting $1,002.32. 63,091 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 292,164. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $874.98 and a 52 week high of $1,227.66. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $987.29 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1,070.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 2.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $48.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.20.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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 quarter in the prior year, the company earned $8.33 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.82%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is currently 21.18%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. William Blair upgraded W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Wolfe Research downgraded W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,130.89.

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.