Oak Thistle LLC Purchases Shares of 417 W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Oak Thistle LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 417 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $440,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of GWW. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 250.0% in the 3rd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the second quarter worth $26,000. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 111.1% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 38.9% in the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 50 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger in the third quarter worth $75,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,117.84, for a total value of $10,705,553.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total transaction of $150,753.75. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 675 shares in the company, valued at approximately $814,070.25. The trade was a 15.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 10,406 shares of company stock worth $11,634,643 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 0.2 %

GWW stock traded up $2.70 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $1,113.05. 697,483 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 315,562. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $855.01 and a 1-year high of $1,227.66. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $54.21 billion, a PE ratio of 30.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,135.16 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,049.25.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.98 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $9.43 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th were given a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is 22.23%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Northcoast Research initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. They set a "neutral" rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, September 22nd. Oppenheimer cut W.W. Grainger from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Loop Capital increased their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. One research 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger has an average rating of "Hold" and an average 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.