Mogy Joel R Investment Counsel Inc. Acquires New Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Mogy Joel R Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 1,590 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $1,652,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 170.0% during the first quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 27 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 17 shares during the period. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the second quarter valued at $26,000. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 225.0% during the first quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 39 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the first quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, Triad Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the second quarter valued at $42,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 0.7 %

GWW stock traded up $7.53 during trading on Friday, reaching $1,127.00. 253,450 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 235,600. The company has a current ratio of 2.30, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $1,008.79 and a 200-day moving average price of $964.03. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $674.41 and a 1 year high of $1,128.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.12, a P/E/G ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.16.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $9.58 by $0.18. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.86% and a return on equity of 53.25%. The company had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.35 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $9.28 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger's quarterly revenue was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.65 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 12th were given a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 12th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is presently 22.64%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have issued reports on GWW shares. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $978.00 to $972.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Friday, September 6th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $990.00 price objective on the stock. Baird R W raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Robert W. Baird raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued 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, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,030.70.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total transaction of $13,481,538.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 98,567 shares in the company, valued at $102,281,004.56. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of W.W. Grainger 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 owns 98,567 shares in the company, valued at approximately $102,281,004.56. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total transaction of $27,524,551.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 111,559 shares of the company's stock, valued at $111,650,478.38. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 9.50% of the company's stock.

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.