Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. Purchases 993 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 49.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,984 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 993 shares during the quarter. W.W. Grainger comprises about 0.6% of Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest position. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc.'s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $3,145,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 250.0% in the third quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 111.1% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 38.9% during the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 50 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the period. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter valued at about $75,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

NYSE GWW opened at $1,086.69 on Wednesday. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $1,139.49 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $1,047.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.46, a P/E/G ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 1.18. 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 $833.50 and a 12-month high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.40 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $9.43 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.94 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. Investors of record on Monday, November 11th were given a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is currently 22.23%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of W.W. Grainger 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 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the company'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 transaction, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 10,406 shares of company stock worth $11,634,643 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Northcoast Research assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. They set a "neutral" rating for the company. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, September 22nd. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,140.56.

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.

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