Virtu Financial LLC Invests $2.68 Million in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 2,576 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $2,675,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in GWW. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $281,104,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 92,754.3% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 87,283 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $906,700,000 after buying an additional 87,189 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 563.3% in the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 72,300 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $65,232,000 after buying an additional 61,400 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 67.9% during the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 143,193 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $129,175,000 after acquiring an additional 57,894 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Champlain Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the third quarter valued at $55,815,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. UBS Group began coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $1,280.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Monday, October 7th. They set an "underperform" rating and a $925.00 price target for the company. Loop Capital lifted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Robert W. Baird upgraded W.W. Grainger from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their target price for the company from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Oppenheimer cut shares of W.W. Grainger from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,109.00.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of GWW traded down $7.16 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $1,148.34. 130,184 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 233,517. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 2.59 and a quick ratio of 1.68. The stock's 50-day moving average is $1,139.84 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1,018.77. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $800.97 and a 12 month high of $1,227.66. The stock has a market cap of $55.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.19, a P/E/G ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 1.16.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released 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). The business had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $9.43 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.94 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th were paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.71%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is presently 22.23%.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In related 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 transaction of $10,705,553.68. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,379 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,895,021.36. This trade represents a 68.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total transaction of $778,335.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 9,509 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,513,055.31. This trade represents a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 50,900 shares of company stock worth $52,640,733. Company insiders own 9.50% of the company's stock.

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.