W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Stock Position Lifted by Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH

Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH boosted its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 313.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,521 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,153 shares during the period. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,603,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. HWG Holdings LP acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted 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 last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its position 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 in the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 38.9% in the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 50 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 3rd quarter valued at about $75,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on GWW. Loop Capital lifted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Baird R W raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Bank of America initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Monday, October 7th. They set an "underperform" rating and a $925.00 price target on the stock. Northcoast Research assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. They issued a "neutral" rating for the company. Finally, Robert W. Baird upgraded W.W. Grainger from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,140.56.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of W.W. Grainger 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 transaction of $10,705,553.68. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,379 shares in the company, valued at $4,895,021.36. The trade was a 68.62 % decrease in their position. The transaction 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 the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total value of $778,335.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 9,509 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,513,055.31. The trade was a 6.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 10,406 shares of company stock valued at $11,634,643 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 9.50% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 2.2 %

NYSE GWW traded up $23.16 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $1,075.64. The company's stock had a trading volume of 267,812 shares, compared to its average volume of 233,887. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 2.59 and a quick ratio of 1.68. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $833.50 and a 52-week high of $1,227.66. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $1,139.49 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $1,047.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 1.18.

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 for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.98 by ($0.11). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. The business had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.40 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $9.43 EPS. The business's revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.94 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 11th were issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.76%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is 22.23%.

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.