Sanctuary Advisors LLC Has $6.56 Million Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Sanctuary Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 28.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,311 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,406 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $6,556,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter valued at about $281,104,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 92,754.3% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 87,283 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $906,700,000 after purchasing an additional 87,189 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 563.3% during the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 72,300 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $65,232,000 after purchasing an additional 61,400 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 67.9% during the 2nd quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 143,193 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $129,175,000 after buying an additional 57,894 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Champlain Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 3rd quarter valued at $55,815,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

GWW stock traded down $6.39 during trading on Friday, hitting $1,142.62. The company had a trading volume of 179,799 shares, compared to its average volume of 233,651. The business has a 50 day moving average of $1,144.43 and a 200 day moving average of $1,021.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.97, a P/E/G ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 1.16. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $800.97 and a fifty-two week 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.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 last year, the business earned $9.43 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.94 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is 22.23%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of W.W. Grainger 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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,379 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,895,021.36. The trade was a 68.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the 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 owns 675 shares in the company, valued at $814,070.25. This represents a 15.63 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 50,900 shares of company stock valued at $52,640,733 over the last three months. Company insiders own 9.50% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Robert W. Baird raised W.W. Grainger from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Oppenheimer cut shares of W.W. Grainger from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Northcoast Research initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. They set a "neutral" rating for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,109.00.

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.