W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Bought by Park Avenue Securities LLC

Park Avenue Securities LLC raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 19.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,412 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 228 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,489,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Kathmere Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 12.3% during the 4th quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 574 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $605,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 1,653.7% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 56,978 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $60,058,000 after purchasing an additional 53,729 shares during the last quarter. Board of the Pension Protection Fund purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth about $422,000. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 703 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $741,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oak Thistle LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $440,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.2 %

GWW traded up $2.70 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $1,113.05. 697,483 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 211,983. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $855.01 and a 12-month high of $1,227.66. The firm has a market cap of $54.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $1,133.37 and a 200 day moving average of $1,052.65.

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 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.40 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $9.43 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently weighed in on GWW. Wolfe Research upgraded W.W. Grainger to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, September 22nd. StockNews.com cut W.W. Grainger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Oppenheimer lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,140.56.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total transaction of $150,753.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the vice president now owns 4,379 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,895,021.36. This 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 have sold 10,406 shares of company stock worth $11,634,643. Company insiders own 9.50% of the company's stock.

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.