Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 35.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 959 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 253 shares during the quarter. Blue Trust Inc.'s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $996,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 36.4% during the 2nd quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 1,303 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,176,000 after buying an additional 348 shares in the last quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 14.4% during the 2nd quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,041 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $7,255,000 after buying an additional 1,010 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 7.3% in the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 14,801 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $13,354,000 after buying an additional 1,006 shares during the last quarter. Heritage Oak Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the second quarter worth $601,000. Finally, SRN Advisors LLC increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 8.5% during the second quarter. SRN Advisors LLC now owns 1,847 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,666,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Several equities analysts recently commented on GWW shares. Northcoast Research initiated coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. They set a "neutral" rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley upped their target price 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. StockNews.com lowered W.W. Grainger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Bank of America began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Monday, October 7th. They issued an "underperform" rating and a $925.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,140.56.
Get Our Latest Report on GWW
Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger
In other news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 9,509 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,513,055.31. This represents a 6.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total value of $150,753.75. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 675 shares in the company, valued at approximately $814,070.25. This represents a 15.63 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 10,406 shares of company stock worth $11,634,643. 9.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
W.W. Grainger Stock Down 1.5 %
Shares of NYSE GWW traded down $17.40 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $1,113.89. 257,088 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 273,532. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $874.98 and a 12 month high of $1,227.66. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $1,124.04 and a 200-day moving average price of $1,063.09. The company has a quick ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 2.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The company has a market cap of $54.25 billion, a PE ratio of 30.19, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.18.
W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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). The business had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $9.43 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.95 EPS for the current year.
W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.74%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is presently 22.23%.
W.W. Grainger Profile
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Free Report)
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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