Jump Financial LLC Raises Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Jump Financial LLC raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 97.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,404 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 693 shares during the quarter. Jump Financial LLC's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,480,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Busey Bank boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Busey Bank now owns 615 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $648,000 after buying an additional 9 shares during the last quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 438 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $462,000 after acquiring an additional 9 shares during the period. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC raised its stake 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 in the last quarter. Welch & Forbes LLC grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Welch & Forbes LLC now owns 481 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $507,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Finally, United Community Bank boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 6.9% during the fourth quarter. United Community Bank now owns 155 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $163,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In related news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total value of $1,160,647.68. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 10,235 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,205,523.20. This trade represents a 10.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GWW has been the topic of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Wolfe Research cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 price target for the company. in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, William Blair upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,130.89.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

GWW traded down $8.21 during trading on Friday, reaching $1,010.94. The stock had a trading volume of 51,857 shares, compared to its average volume of 253,480. The business has a 50-day moving average of $986.43 and a 200-day moving average of $1,069.56. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $874.98 and a one year high of $1,227.66. 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 cap of $48.74 billion, a PE ratio of 26.11, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.20.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share 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 firm earned $8.33 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.81%. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is currently 21.18%.

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.