MML Investors Services LLC Acquires 537 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

MML Investors Services LLC increased its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 8.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,146 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 537 shares during the quarter. MML Investors Services LLC's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $7,424,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Avestar Capital LLC grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.0% in the third quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 467 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $485,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares in the last quarter. Optas LLC grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.8% in the second quarter. Optas LLC now owns 1,353 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,221,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. CX Institutional grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.9% in the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 1,191 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,237,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 4.4% during the second quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 284 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $256,000 after buying an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ritholtz Wealth Management grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 2.7% during the second quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 463 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $418,000 after buying an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Loop Capital boosted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Wolfe Research upgraded W.W. Grainger to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, September 22nd. Bank of America assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Monday, October 7th. They set an "underperform" rating and a $925.00 target price for the company. Northcoast Research initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. They set a "neutral" rating for the company. Finally, Baird R W upgraded W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,109.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related 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 value of $150,753.75. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 675 shares in the company, valued at $814,070.25. This represents a 15.63 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total value of $27,524,551.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at $111,650,478.38. The trade was a 19.78 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 50,900 shares of company stock worth $52,640,733. Company insiders own 9.50% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE GWW traded down $6.49 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $1,149.01. The company had a trading volume of 208,137 shares, compared to its average volume of 233,873. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $1,139.84 and its 200-day moving average price is $1,018.77. The stock has a market cap of $55.96 billion, a PE ratio of 31.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a quick ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 2.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $800.97 and a one year high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 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 the consensus estimate of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. The company'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 earned $9.43 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.94 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

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