Ritholtz Wealth Management Has $1.38 Million Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Ritholtz Wealth Management grew its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 160.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,309 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 807 shares during the quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,380,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. USA Financial Formulas lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 45.1% during the 4th quarter. USA Financial Formulas now owns 399 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $421,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. CHURCHILL MANAGEMENT Corp lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. CHURCHILL MANAGEMENT Corp now owns 13,097 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $13,805,000 after purchasing an additional 212 shares during the last quarter. Brendel Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 496.6% during the 4th quarter. Brendel Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,007 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $3,170,000 after purchasing an additional 2,503 shares during the period. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 49.9% in the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 2,984 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $3,145,000 after buying an additional 993 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 19.3% in the 4th quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 1,412 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,489,000 after buying an additional 228 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GWW has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Baird R W upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Loop Capital boosted their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $1,280.00 target price for the company. Robert W. Baird raised W.W. Grainger from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. One equities research 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,140.56.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of GWW traded up $2.70 on Friday, hitting $1,113.05. The company's stock had a trading volume of 697,483 shares, compared to its average volume of 211,983. The company has a market capitalization of $54.21 billion, a PE ratio of 30.17, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $855.01 and a fifty-two week high of $1,227.66. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $1,133.37 and a 200 day moving average price of $1,051.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 2.59 and a quick ratio of 1.68.

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 EPS 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 business had revenue of $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.40 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $9.43 EPS. W.W. Grainger's revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 11th were issued a $2.05 dividend. 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 currently 22.23%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total value of $778,335.36. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 9,509 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,513,055.31. This represents a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $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. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 10,406 shares of company stock valued at $11,634,643. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.