Van ECK Associates Corp Increases Stock Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 10.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 12,357 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,181 shares during the quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $13,500,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 250.0% during 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. HWG Holdings LP bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 225.0% in the first quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 39 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the period. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 1st quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, Triad Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter valued at about $42,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other W.W. Grainger news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total transaction of $778,335.36. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 9,509 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,513,055.31. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other W.W. Grainger news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total value of $13,481,538.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 98,567 shares in the company, valued at $102,281,004.56. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of W.W. Grainger 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 sale, the chief financial officer now owns 9,509 shares in the company, valued at $10,513,055.31. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 41,198 shares of company stock valued at $41,784,426. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on GWW. Northcoast Research assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. They issued a "neutral" rating for the company. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Robert W. Baird raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Friday, September 6th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $990.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wolfe Research raised shares of W.W. Grainger to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, September 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,058.50.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 6.5 %

GWW stock traded up $73.08 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $1,195.10. 399,184 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 235,060. The firm's 50 day moving average is $1,041.21 and its 200 day moving average is $974.44. The firm has a market cap of $58.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 1.15. 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 twelve month low of $764.13 and a twelve month high of $1,199.00.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.40 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $9.43 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger's revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.85 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 11th will be given a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.69%. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is 22.23%.

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.