Weiss Asset Management LP Takes $922,000 Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Weiss Asset Management LP purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 888 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $922,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 250.0% during the 3rd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. HWG Holdings LP bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 111.1% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Triad Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its holdings in 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 last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on GWW shares. Wolfe Research raised W.W. Grainger to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, September 22nd. Bank of America initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Monday, October 7th. They issued an "underperform" rating and a $925.00 price target for the company. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. StockNews.com raised W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,109.00.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 2.0 %

NYSE GWW traded down $23.37 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $1,161.79. 309,111 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 233,643. The company's 50-day moving average is $1,132.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1,014.99. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $800.97 and a one year high of $1,227.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a current ratio of 2.59. The company has a market capitalization of $56.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 1.16.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share (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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.40 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $9.43 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger's revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th were given a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.23%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the company's 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 675 shares of the company's stock, valued at $814,070.25. This represents a 15.63 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,379 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,895,021.36. This trade represents a 68.62 % 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 in the last quarter. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.