Proficio Capital Partners LLC Makes New Investment in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 175,168 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $175,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC owned about 0.36% of W.W. Grainger as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Assetmark Inc. boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 159.0% during the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 202 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $213,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 19.1% during the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 43,818 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $46,186,000 after purchasing an additional 7,033 shares during the last quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth about $230,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 293,499 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $309,363,000 after buying an additional 8,833 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 4,360 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $4,596,000 after buying an additional 173 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on GWW. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of 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. William Blair raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com lowered W.W. Grainger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,151.50.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW stock traded up $13.32 on Monday, hitting $988.35. 252,145 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 247,198. The company's fifty day moving average is $1,024.86 and its 200 day moving average is $1,077.69. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $874.98 and a 1-year high of $1,227.66. The company has a market capitalization of $47.66 billion, a PE ratio of 25.53, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 2.49 and a quick ratio of 1.49.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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 return on equity of 52.43% and a net margin of 11.12%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $8.33 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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 0.83%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is currently 21.18%.

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.